Cardinal Sins
by chihuahuamama
Summary: Afraid for her life, Bella escapes from the hands of Phil. Greed, pride, envy, jealousy... forces are at work to ruin Bella and Edward. Will Edward be able to rescue Bella from the darkness? Will their love survive it all? AH Canon
1. Chapter 1 My personal hell

**Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of ****Steph****e****nie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 1 My personal hell**

**BPOV**

"It's just you and me now kid. You're going to have to pull your weight around here. I don't have a job anymore and since I wasn't married to your mom, I don't get to claim a dime from her insurance money. It all goes to you when I was the one who took care of you and her for the last few years. When the money comes in, I expect you to hand it over to me." That was what Phil said right after the funeral. I didn't realize until later that my personal hell started at that very moment.

Phil was my Mom's boyfriend. He was a minor league baseball player until a year ago. They replaced him with a much younger player. He was already depressed, but now that Mom was gone, on top of being depressed, he now had no source of income until he came across my game document. I became his golden goose; his ticket out of his misery.

"Bella, you've got work to do so get up. We're on a schedule and have to leave for the airport in an hour. Don't forget your laptop. I need you to make any changes Volturi Games want for the press conference." Phil yelled from outside my bedroom.

A month passed since Renee, my mom, was suddenly taken away from us. She died from subarachnoid hemorrhage. I found her on the floor of the kitchen that morning. She had been complaining of severe headaches for a few days and planned to go to the hospital on the day I found her on the floor. She never made it to the hospital, and died in the ambulance while I held her hand. At least I was there and she didn't die alone. That fact brought some comfort to me.

When I was in first grade, Renee introduced me to her computer. I was enthralled with what it could do. In the beginning all I did was draw and color. Renee was an artist and she drew pictures for children's storybook. By the time I was in sixth grade I was bored of drawing 2D pictures, so I quickly moved on to 3D by the time I hit Junior High. The world of drawing opened up a lot of possibilities as soon as I learned how to draw using 3D Studio Max, Maya, and Lightwave 3D.

My only friend now was Lone Star since I no longer got to contact my friends at school. Lone Star was a computer geek I met on an online gaming community. He introduced me to the world of coding. He was mesmerized with my drawings and taught me how to program, so that I could breathe life into my creations. He taught me the importance of scripting, memory management, code/resource management, and production.

The reason why I no longer got to have any interaction with my friends from school was because Phil pulled me from school making an excuse that I was going to be homeschooled which was a blatant lie. He just wanted to make sure I didn't have anything that got in the way of developing the game. After Phil found my game concept he submitted it to one of the largest game publishers in the West Coast, Volturi Games.

Volturi Games was fascinated with my game concept document, so Phil made me develop a playable demo version which he submitted to them. They loved it and quickly signed a contract with Phil. Volturi Games wasted no time and announced the game for release this Christmas. I no longer got to step out of the house. Phil barely fed me, he said eating was a waste of time. He didn't let me sleep very much either. He was excited to attend their press conference today. He was thrilled he now had means to be back in the spotlight since his career ended. If you ask me, he was never in the spotlight. He was just a minor league baseball player. He warned me to keep my mouth shut since I was a minor, to avoid any trouble if word got out that I was the one responsible for creating this game.

I have a biological father that I had no memories of. My mom divorced my dad when I was barely a year old. According to my mom, she left him because she didn't want to be stuck in a small, rainy town in Washington, called Forks. She told me that my father was a policeman there, and that he was always knee deep in work, and never had time for us.

I actually met Lone Star online because of my biological father. I wanted to know more about Forks, Washington so I joined the Forks Online Gaming Community. That was where I met him. He was a senior at Forks High school when I met him online for the first time. At first we just played some games together but gradually we got to know each other. He was a few years older than me, but treated me like I was his sister, and never looked down on me because I was a kid. He was starting his last year at the University of Washington in September.

Through Lone Star I found out that my biological Dad was now the Chief of Police there. At least he was still alive; I wondered if he remembered me. Lone Star was surprised when I told him that I was the Chief's daughter last week. He did some digging and found out that I was indeed his daughter that his ex-wife took away from him when I was barely a year old.

I thought of contacting my father, I didn't want to be here alone with Phil anymore. Lone Star didn't know how bad my situation was now. He was worried that I wasn't spending much time online anymore and kept asking me what was wrong. I didn't want him involved in this mess so I never discussed my situation at home. Lone Star was very sensitive and even if I didn't say a word, he knew something was wrong. I just blamed everything on losing my mom, so that he'd back off. I feared for his wellbeing if he tried to help me and Phil found out. Phil didn't seem so dangerous on his own, but many of his friends who hung around him were definitely low lives. Many looked like career criminals.

There were many times over the last few weeks I wanted to run away, but I couldn't. Phil always locked me inside my room when he went out. When he was out of the house, his friends came over and kept an eye on me. I felt trapped in my own home that Phil conveniently took over as if it were his own even though my mom made sure the home belonged to me.

Phil had grown very impatient over the last few days. He needed me to finish enough of the demo for the presentation. He hadn't physically hit me yet, but when he'd grab me, I usually ended up with bruises. His constant yelling didn't help either so I was now on the brink of a major breakdown.

I forced myself out of bed before Phil got upset with me. My arms were still sore from where he shook me yesterday. I went to the bathroom for a much needed shower. I needed to relax and clear my head before I started another dreadful day. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep this up. Some days I wished I never woke up; Heaven sounded really good right now. I used to have future plans and dreams. I wanted to go to college and become a game designer.

I ate a piece of the pizza from the box Phil threw into my room while I showered. It looked like leftovers of his dinner from last night but I wasn't going to complain. My meals usually consisted of a piece of bread from Wonderbread loaf he'd throw into my room that he expected to last a few days and as a result I was sickly thin, hungry and tired. I dreamt of eating lasagna and sleeping without disturbance. In short, I lost all hope. I would probably be stuck here for the rest of my life or Phil would rid himself of me when I stopped laying golden eggs for him.

While I showered it dawned on me that this trip was the perfect opportunity for me to jump ship. This was my only chance to get out of this hell. I remembered that Forks was only a few hours away from Seattle. Maybe Lone Star could help me contact my father if I called from Seattle. I wasn't sure how Charlie Swan was going to react, but I was willing to take the risk. Anything was better than being stuck here with Phil. If worse comes to worst I could always run from Phil in Seattle. Seattle was a large city, hopefully he wouldn't be able to find me. In three months I'd turn eighteen anyway and then I could legally be on my own. I was sure I could hide from Phil for three months. I had some money hidden underneath the floorboard of my bedroom that I saved over the last few years for my college fund. It wasn't much, but at least it could tide me over until Mom's insurance money came in.

I quickly packed a suitcase and hid my valuables under the lining so that he wouldn't suspect that I didn't plan on returning here. I didn't have much anyway, but I didn't want to lose pictures of me and Mom together, and her jewelry.

Before we left for the airport, I sent a text to Lone Star

_Hi, Lonestar. It's Ugly Duckling. I'm leaving for the airport now to fly to Seattle today. I'm staying at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel. I'm going to need your help. I'll explain the details when I call you once I'm there._

The flight would've been awesome if I weren't flying with Phil since Volturi Games got us two first class tickets to Seattle. Volturi Games had a car sent to pick us up so Phil warned me to keep my mouth shut and to just smile if anyone asked me anything; he'd do the answering for me. Once we were downtown, I tried to acclimate myself with the surrounding area, so that when I escaped I wouldn't run around in circles.

The Fairmont Olympic Hotel that Volturi Games booked for us was beautiful. I had never seen a hotel this grand. Just three blocks from the hotel was a department store and Chinatown was only five minutes away. I felt confident I could blend in with the crowd in Chinatown when I made my escape.

After we checked in, I was shocked to see one of Phil's friends waiting for him in the hotel lobby. He was the scariest of the guys who visited Phil even though he was much younger. He had long blonde hair and icy cold blue eyes. He used to stare at me like I was his prey. All my hopes of escaping Phil went down the drain as soon as I realized that he wasn't leaving me alone at the hotel.

A few minutes later I realized that luck was actually on my side for once. After we were shown our room, Phil left me in the room to meet with Volturi Games with the guy from the lobby. They needed him at their office to go over the details for the press conference in the evening. It dawned on me that the guy from the lobby was not his friend but someone from Volturi Games. Phil warned me to stay in the room and that he'd find out if I used the phone. Phil was too caught up with the evening's press conference that he left his defenses down. He underestimated my courage when he assumed I was too chicken to escape in an unfamiliar town. As soon as they left I called Lone Star. I didn't care if Phil found out because by the time he did, I would be long gone.

"Whitlock."

"Hello? Lone Star? It's Bella. Oh umm Ugly Duckling."

"Duckling? Are you in Seattle now? Are you at the hotel?"

"Yes. I'm at the hotel. I need you to help me escape."

"Duckling, there's a Starbucks on 4th Avenue, just a minute or two from the hotel. Can you meet me there?"

"Okay, I know where that is. I saw it on my way into the hotel. Will you be there soon?"

"Duckling, I'm already here. I've been sitting here for a while waiting for your call."

"I'll be there in five minutes. I need to gather my things. Thanks, Lone Star."

Shocked was an understatement. I never anticipated Lone Star to be here already. I meant to just ask him for help over the phone. I grabbed my suitcase and took a deep breath before I ran out the door. I wasn't sure if Phil had anyone watching me so I slipped out of the hotel from a different entrance we came in from when we checked into the hotel.

I made a mad dash towards Starbucks and fell on my knees right in front of it. Strong arms lifted me up from the ground. When I looked up I saw a tall blonde haired guy with blue eyes wearing a T-shirt that said Lone Star State, Texas printed on the front.

"Lone Star?" I asked.

"You must be Duckling," he smiled and then hugged me.

"We can't stay here. I need you to help me out of here." I said in distress.

"Ummm. Okay. I parked over there," Lone Star said and pointed to his truck. He grabbed my suitcase and we ran towards his truck.

"No offense, but I really don't feel comfortable having a minor in my truck that I've never met before, so I'm just going take you to the market. If anyone asks, you're my cousin. Okay? We can talk there." I nodded.

He drove to a place called Pike Place Market. The place was like a really unique waterfront farmers market. Lone Star said he was hungry and took us to a diner there. He told me that the Seattle cheese steak was good there so he ordered two of them and 2 diet cokes.

"Let's cut to the chase. Am I going to get arrested for kidnapping you?" Lone Star chuckled although I could sense there was nervousness in his voice.

"I need to your help to get away from Phil. I need you to contact Charlie Swan."

"Whoah. Hold on Duckling. "

"I want to talk to him. I need his help. Long story short, Phil is here in Seattle to present Ugly Duckling to the press through Volturi Games. He's claiming it as his own. I don't care about that though. I just want to get away from him, but I'm a minor. I need to ask my Dad if I can stay with him until I turn 18."

**JPOV**

When I received the text from Duckling, my mind went into overdrive. I knew something was clearly wrong with Duckling over the past few weeks. Her mom just passed away, but I knew there was more to it, but she wouldn't confide in me.

I went online and looked up the time for arrivals into Seattle from Phoenix. There were three flights around seven a.m. that were landing in Seattle between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. I had no idea what I was getting into, but over the years I got to know Duckling well, and unless she really needed me, she wouldn't have asked for help, so my mind was made up to help her out any way I could.

I quickly showered and decided to call my buddy to let him know that I couldn't make it to the press conference the company he worked for held today. It was his first big assignment so it was a big deal for him that I was going to be there to witness it, but for some reason I knew that Duckling needed me more than he did.

"Whitlock? What the fuck are you calling me so early? I thought you didn't have class today."

"Errr. Something's come up. I can't make it to the press conference."

"What the fuck? What could be so important?"

"Remember Duckling? You know the kid I know from online?"

"Jail bait? Dude, you've got to be kidding. She's coming to Seattle today or something?"

"Something like that, but you know I don't have feelings like that for her. I'm not a pedophile."

"Whatever dude, but it can't be good. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Cullen chuckled.

"Is there anything you wouldn't do?"

"That's why I'm saying all this. I know you. You'd do anything for that little kid. You've had her under your wings keeping the predators away from her every time she was online for the past god knows how many years."

"Things have been off with her lately. I just know there's something really wrong. I felt it from her every time I chatted with her over the last few weeks. She texted me right as she was leaving for the airport, so I think she's landing around ten o'clock. I'm gonna go and hang out near her hotel. I just wanted to give you a warning that it's likely I can't go to the press conference."

"Just don't do anything stupid. If anything goes wrong, make sure to call Em or me. Shame you can't come today, but I don't blame you for choosing a chick over me," Edward said and laughed.

"Like I said, it's not like that. She's like a little sister to me. I just need to make sure she's all right, and if she's trying to do anything stupid, I need to stop her."

"All right. Stay out in public. Call and update me later."

I got dressed and got into my truck. I knew there were several Starbucks near The Fairmont Olympic so I parked by W hotel and sat under the umbrellas outside Starbucks on 4th avenue.

After I told her to meet me here at Starbucks, my mind started to run different scenarios as to why she was here. I knew it was futile since anything was possible with the limited information I had to work with. Right as I got out of the chair to get another Chai Latte, I spotted a girl dragging her suitcase looking over her shoulders approach the café.

Brunette, check, 5 ft 4, check, brown eyes, check, Ugly Duckling T- shirt ha ha double check. It had to be Duckling. Right as I had almost reached her, she tripped over a manhole. I quickly grabbed her arm before her face met the ground.

From that point everything happened quickly. There was fear in her eyes as she said she needed to get out of here. Without asking why she needed my help, I took her to my truck, and drove to Pike Place Market.

So here I was, not knowing whether I was going to regret my actions or not, having a meal with her. She took me by surprise when she told me she wanted me to contact Chief Swan. Against my better judgment I picked up the phone and called Tyler. He worked under the Chief.

"Hey, Tyler. It's Jasper. Ummm. Is the Chief in?"

"Whitlock? What the fuck? Dawg, what you up to and why do you need the Chief?"

"Just patch me through to him. I'll fill in the details later."

"All right, just a sec. You owe me next time I'm in Seattle or when you're back in Forks."

"Jasper Whitlock? Charlotte's nephew? What can I do for you?"

"Chief, gosh, I don't even know how to explain this without you hanging up on me or you going into shock."

"Just spit it out Jasper."

"Chief, I don't know if you were aware that your ex-wife, Renee, passed away…" Chief cut my sentence short before I could explain further.

"Renee is dead? What about Bella? Why do you know about Renee?" There was shock, fear, and panic in the Chief's voice.

"I learned this from your daughter, Bella. She found me online on Forks Gaming community. She's with me right now and wants to talk to you."

"Bella is with you? Why? Who's looking after her if Renee is gone?"

"Ummm. Just a second, Chief. I'm going to give the phone over to your daughter," I said and handed the phone over to Duckling.

"Hi Charlie…I'm not okay," Duckling said as endless drops of tears began running down her chin.

"She died and I'm living with her boyfriend. He locks me in the house. He doesn't always feed me or let me sleep much and I'm hungry and tired, Charlie," Duckling bawled. Oh god. That's why she was so fucking skinny. "He brought me here to Seattle. I made a game and he's presenting it at a press conference today at the Volturi Game's office."

What? Did she just say Volturi Games? Oh my God. Duckling made the game Edward was presenting at the press conference. I'd better get a hold of him before they fuck up.

"Yeah. It's Phil. Okay, I'll hand over the phone to Lone umm Jasper."

"Chief?"

"Son, could you take Bella to your place and keep her there until I come and get her?"

"Of course, Chief. I'll do whatever you need."

"Could you feed her for me? I'll be there as soon as I can. Give your details to Tyler. I need to call the precinct there and get Phil Dwyer arrested."

"All right, Chief. See you soon," I hung up the phone after giving my address and my home number to Tyler.

I felt my heart break when I saw Bella wolf down the cheese steak sobbing. She was so hungry that crying didn't even deter her from losing her appetite. I pulled my chair closer to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. I pushed my cheese steak towards her and told her to finish mine. She sobbed even louder and nodded.

How could anyone deprive food and sleep from such an innocent, helpless girl? I don't think I've ever felt so much hate towards anyone before. If Phil showed up at my door step, I was sure I would shoot him point blank. I've never used my gun on anyone before, but I had one at home legally registered in my name.

After Duckling finished eating, I helped her out of the chair. She was still sobbing and her whole body trembled. She couldn't even stand on her own anymore. I wrapped my arm around her waist and walked back to the car. I knew I needed to contact Edward to warn him, but Duckling's well being was my first priority.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I got you involved," Duckling sobbed.

"Duckling, I'm glad you called me. I would have been angry at you, if you didn't call," I said as I squeezed her hand to assure her.

The ride to my apartment was silent. I showed her my bedroom and asked if she wanted to shower and change. Her hair was matted from sweat and tears. She couldn't have been comfortable. She smiled a little and nodded.

Once I was out of the bedroom I picked up my phone to call Edward. He didn't pick up so I called Emmett. When Emmett didn't pick up, I called Emmett's girlfriend, Rosalie. Thankfully, she picked up.

"Hey, Jasper. Why aren't you here? The game is awesome! I have no doubt it's going to be the No.1 hit this Christmas," Rosalie sounded super excited. Damn, I was too late.

"Rose, I need to speak to Edward or Emmett immediately. I don't have time to explain to you, but I will later. Just get Edward or Emmett to call me back. It's regarding the game, and they need to act on it a.s.a.p."

"You sound serious."

"I'm not kidding, Rose. Get them. Every minute you delay the worse it's going to be for Em and Edward. Not just them, the whole Volturi Games could go down."

"What the fuck? Okay, I'm not going to be responsible if they get really pissy," Rose huffed before hanging up.

Ten minutes later Emmett called me back. "What's going on Jasper? We're really busy right now."

"Emmett, there's a problem with the game, The Ugly Duckling. Phil Dwyer didn't create the game; Chief Swan's daughter did. He has absolutely no rights to the game that Volturi just announced to the press. The police will be arresting Phil Dwyer any minute now."

"Whoah. Slow down, Jasper. What the fuck are you talking about? The Chief's daughter? You mean like in Chief Charlie Swan?"

"Listen to me carefully. The Chief's daughter, Bella Swan, owns all the rights to the game. Phil Dwyer stole it from her and claimed it as his own. Phil Dwyer is going to be in all sorts of other related trouble as well. Chief Swan is on his way here to Seattle now and he was making sure Seattle police are on their way to arrest Phil Dwyer. Get your legal team together and make sure Phil Dwyer doesn't escape or Volturi Games is going to be in the worst possible situation."

"Fuck! I think that's the police. I gotta go." I heard a loud commotion in the back ground as Emmett hung up.

**A/N **

Did you like it? Does the story appeal to you? I'll be introducing Charlie, Edward, Carlisle, Esme, and Aro Volturi next chapter.

Please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts on this story.

Very special thanks to JCook169 for going back and editing this chapter!


	2. Chapter 2 Regrets

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 2 Regrets**

**Charlie's POV**

I never expected to hear from Bella. I stopped dreaming of her return years ago. I kept track of where Renee lived through a friend in the Phoenix Police Department. I never knew what Bella looked like grown up until he sent me a copy of her driver's license picture. I called up my friend, Howard, at West Precinct in Seattle. I explained to him that I needed him to bring Phil Dwyer in for questioning in regards to the theft and abuse against Bella. I informed him that Bella was in Seattle under Jasper's care, and that I needed a uniform officer or someone to protect her until I got there. It was for precaution just in case they couldn't detain Phil.

I called Billy to cancel the fishing trip we planned on going from tomorrow as soon as I had everything sorted out with Howard. I explained to Billy that I was on my way to get Bella in Seattle. He sounded just as shocked as I was that I heard from her, and was saddened to hear of Renee's passing. Renee's death hadn't sunk in yet. My priority was to rescue Bella, and to take care of her. She sounded so broken and scared. I jumped into my cruiser and sped towards Seattle.

Hours later without a break, I stood in front Jasper's apartment building with Howard. When we got to his apartment, I was relieved to see an officer standing in front of his door. Howard released his man and knocked on the door. He explained to Jasper that I was here. Jasper welcomed us into his place, and led us to his living room. He brought a finger to his mouth, and motioned us to be quiet, while he pointed towards the couch.

Bella was asleep on the couch. She looked so frail and skinny. There were tear streaks on her face. I wanted to scoop her up into my arms, and tell her that everything was going to be all right now that Daddy was here. We stepped out into his balcony so that we could talk without disturbing Bella.

"Thanks for taking care of Bella, Jasper. How is she?"

"Not good. I don't know how she survived without breaking down. I'm worried about her health. She's badly bruised. You should take her to the hospital when she wakes up. I also need to tell you something in regards to this case. I didn't have all the details when Bella called me from the hotel. I didn't know that it was her game that was being presented at Volturi Games. Aro Volturi is Esme Cullen's brother."

"Esme Cullen? Carlisle's wife? Help me out, Jasper. I'm confused. We could use some explanation here. I don't have a grasp on the whole picture."

"Bella's been working on a game for over a year now. She calls it Ugly Duckling. Phil Dwyer claimed the game as his own and sold the rights to Volturi Games. Volturi Games is owned by Aro Volturi. He's Esme Cullen's brother. Carlisle is on the board of directors. Emmett and Edward works for Aro at Volturi Games. They held a press conference today so Carlisle and Esme are also here in Seattle today."

"Based on what you just told me, it's likely that Bella would be dragged into the lawsuit against Phil by Volturi Games too then?"

"I'm afraid so."

I saw movement in the living room. When I looked towards the couch, Bella was up staring at us three looking scared and broken.

"Bella, I'm Charlie, your Dad. You're safe now. I'm not going to let anyone or anything harm you anymore," I said to Bella approaching her slowly, so that I wouldn't scare her anymore than she already was. Bella looked towards Jasper. Her whole body trembled from fear.

"Please go to her, Jasper. You're the only one who she really knows. She needs the comfort of familiarity." I knew Jasper wanted to go and comfort her, but out of respect for me he looked like he was holding back.

Bella grabbed Jasper's shirttail and clung onto him. Her fingers trembled, and my already broken heart shattered again. She was so damaged. If only I kept a closer watch on Renee, Bella may not be in this position.

"Bella, my name is Howard. I'm your Dad's friend. I'm the Commander at the West Precinct. Your Dad called me and gave me the details. We have Phil Dwyer and he's being questioned as we speak. You're safe now. You have nothing to worry about. We need to take you to the hospital to get you checked out."

"Please. No hospital. I don't like hospitals. Phil will get mad at me if the doctors find out about the injuries," Bella cried and hid herself behind Jasper.

"Bella, Phil can't get mad or harm you anymore. The police have him and your Dad is here to protect you. Phil will never touch you again," Jasper explained and tried to calm her down.

"Phil's friend works for Volturi Games. Maybe there are more of them working for Phil too. They can hurt me. It's not safe."

"Bella, I'm here and so is your Dad. You have nothing to be scared of now." Bella seemed to calm down a little after she heard Howard's words, but she still insisted she didn't want to go to the hospital.

"Charlie, if you want Dwyer, there are procedures we need to follow. We need to have Bella checked out by a doctor and have photos taken of her injuries. If Bella doesn't want to go to the hospital, I can arrange for a doctor to come here. I'll request for a female officer to take the pictures of her injuries. Would you agree to that?" I nodded and looked at Bella to see what she thought. Bella's brows furrowed, but nodded.

"Jasper, you mentioned that Carlisle is here in Seattle? Do you think you can get a hold of him for me? I know he works at one of the hospitals here a few times a month. There may be conflict of interest, but I've known Carlisle for a very long time, and I know I can trust Bella into his care. I want him to be present." Jasper nodded and grabbed his phone out of his pocket.

"Rosalie, it's Jasper again. I need you to have Carlisle call me a.s.a.p. Chief Swan is here and he needs to talk to him immediately...Yes, I said Chief Swan. Just do it Rose. I know that things are chaotic there. Believe me, I know…Thanks Rose," Jasper looked frustrated. Rosalie must have given him a hard time. A few minutes later Carlisle called and Jasper handed his phone over to me.

"Hello, Charlie. You're in Seattle? Why are you with Jasper?"

"Carlisle, I don't even know where to begin. It's been a very emotionally trying day. Do you remember my daughter, Bella? Renee passed away and Bella is here with me and Jasper. I haven't even had the time to ask Jasper how long he's known Bella. Bella sustained some injuries that may need attention, and I'd like to ask you to check her out. Do you think you can come over as soon as possible? I need to warn you that there may be some conflict of interest, but at the same time it may benefit Volturi Games that you take care of Bella."

"You've lost me Charlie. What does Volturi Games have to do with Bella?"

"I'm sure you just witnessed Phil Dwyer taken away by the police. He's going to be arrested for abuse of a minor, intellectual property theft, and other violation of human rights. That minor he was abusing is Bella. I am willing to cooperate with Volturi Games instead of suing their ass if Volturi Games ensure us that they'd do everything possible to protect Bella. If Volturi Games do this right they may be able to redeem themselves if you took care of Bella since I heard that you are on the board of directors."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. I may bring Esme and one of my sons with me. Would that be all right?"

"I don't have a problem with that as long as you can get here quickly."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Before you hang up, would you hand the phone back to Jasper, please?"

Carlisle's POV

"Esme, we have a problem. I need you to gather your brothers and our sons together. I need to discuss something very quickly. Oh and have the legal team sit in with us too." Esme understood my urgency and got up without questioning me.

As soon as Aro, Marcus, Caius, Emmett, Edward, Esme and the legal team were seated I explained what Charlie said to me over the phone. Esme gasped and covered her mouth. Tears poured down her eyes when I mentioned that Renee passed away, and that Bella was abused by Phil Dwyer.

Bella was only a few months younger than Alice. Esme and Renee were quite close when they were still in Forks. Esme and Renee used to take them to the park together. We even had a picture of Bella with our kids in the kiddie pool above our fireplace. Esme even had that same picture in her wallet. For a while even after Renee moved away from Forks, they kept in touch, but Renee kept moving around a lot so she lost contact eventually.

The legal team wanted to weigh the options whether having Bella on our side was beneficial or not, but Aro wouldn't listen to them. He was in agreement with Charlie that it would benefit Volturi Games if we took care of Bella. With the lawyers we had Aro was positive Charlie wouldn't win if he tried to sue Volturi Games, but it would make Volturi Games look like a villain to the public, and we definitely wanted to avoid that.

I was glad Aro agreed with Charlie's idea. I didn't have to lose my long standing friendship with Charlie over this case. My mind was made up on resigning from the board if Aro chose to turn his back on Bella and Charlie. I would have forced Emmett and Edward to leave Volturi Games as well. It most likely would have strained the relationship between Esme and her brothers, but I was sure Esme would have supported my decision.

Aro instructed me to take my family to Jasper's to take care of Bella. He wanted Charlie to know that Volturi Games had a heart, and that they cared deeply about Bella's wellbeing. He even offered to have them over as guests at his mansion to stay as long as they needed while they were in Seattle, but if Charlie declined I was to offer them a suite at Four Seasons where Esme and I were staying for the duration of their stay. I didn't know how that would fly with Charlie since he was a proud man and disliked charity. I needed to choose my words carefully in order for him to accept our offer.

Emmett had to stay behind to help out with damage control, so it was only Esme, Edward, and I to go and see Charlie and Bella. Esme still sobbed and I wished I could cry too. It was painful enough to hear of abuse of any child, especially one around the same age as Alice, but it was the worst knowing it had happened to Bella.

The ride to Jasper's was quick. We rushed to his apartment and Edward banged on Jasper's door. As soon as Jasper opened the door, Edward grabbed Jasper and pulled him out into the hallway.

"What the fuck? Why didn't you mention that Jail bait was the one who made the game you asshole? The press conference was totally ruined!" Edward shouted at Jasper and pushed him against the door. I immediately pulled Edward off Jasper and apologized to Jasper for my ignorant son.

"I regret that I didn't call the minute I found out that Volturi Games were showing Bella's game at the press conference, but I don't regret my decision to take care of Bella's needs first. By the time Emmett called me back after I left a message with Rose, it was too late. I feared for Bella's life. I couldn't spare a minute to call you until I knew she was safe. I'm your best friend. You should know me better that I wouldn't willingly try to sabotage the press conference. You know that I didn't know why Bella was here when I called you this morning," Jasper spat back at Edward. In all the years I've known Jasper, I've never seen him so angry. He was always cool and collected.

"Right now our priority is to ensure Bella's well being. Edward, behave. This is Jasper's home and we are his guest," Esme scolded Edward. Edward nodded, but still hadn't apologized to Jasper.

Esme hugged Charlie and cried in his arms. I heard her tell him that she was really sorry and regretted losing touch with Renee. I remembered how broken and distraught Charlie was when Renee left with Bella, but today he looked much worse than he did that day. I felt so sorry for him that his reunion with his daughter was in such a horrible circumstance. Not only did he learn that his ex-wife he was still in love with passed away, but also that his daughter was abused by his late ex-wife's boyfriend.

I sent Jasper and Edward out to the balcony so that they could hash out their difference, and get everything off their chest. They were best friends and they shouldn't have a fall out over something that was out of their control. When I entered Jasper's bedroom with Esme there was a female doctor and a female officer present with Bella. The officer explained to me that she was here to take pictures of Bella's injuries and that the doctor needed to sign off on my findings since there could be conflict of interest since I was on the board at Volturi Games.

Esme sat beside Bella and showed her the picture she had of her with our kids. She explained to Bella that she used to be very close to Renee. Bella also told Esme that she had seen pictures of Esme, and that Renee used to talk to her about how much she missed Esme. Bella's words brought more tears to Esme's eyes, but I saw Esme fighting very hard to stop them from spilling over.

I thought I was going to vomit when the female officer asked Bella if Phil or the men that came into the house raped her or not. Bella shook her head repeatedly.

"As much as I hate what Phil did to me after Mom died, he was a decent man until then. He took good care of us. Even after Mom died, he abused me verbally, he locked me up, he didn't feed me much or let me sleep much, but he never hit me." Bella explained to the officer.

When the officer asked Bella to take her T shirt off and her jeans off, Bella shook her head. The officer had to explain to Bella that in order to take the pictures she needed Bella to do what she asked. It was painful to watch Bella go through with this. She not only had bruises on her arms, but there were many on her hips, thighs, and her back. She explained to the officer that they were results from her falling and bumping into furniture when Phil grabbed her. Bella's definition of physical abuse was distorted. She blamed herself for the bruises where Phil didn't touch her, but she wouldn't have sustained those if Phil hadn't grabbed her, so I explained to her injuries were not her fault.

I felt sick when I felt a sense of relief when I only discovered bruises on her body. I shouldn't be feeling relieved. She wasn't raped or beaten, but she was abused in many other ways. It could have been worse, but that didn't excuse Phil Dwyer for all the other evil he had done to Bella.

Bella said she was clumsy so she was used to bruises, and didn't take my offer of prescribing her some pain killer. What concerned me the most was how underweight she was. She told me she lost twenty pound since Renee passed away. I told her she needed some supplements, and that I'd be delivering them to her later along with some protein shakes. I chuckled when Bella scrunched her nose when I mentioned the protein shakes. She looked just like she used to when she was a baby when Renee fed her mashed vegetables she didn't like.

Esme stayed in the bedroom with Bella while the doctor, the officer and I left the room. I explained to Charlie that although the injuries Bella sustained looked horrible it wasn't as bad, and that they were just bruises. I also mentioned to him that Bella was much too underweight for her height and build, and that I'd like to see her again when we were back in Forks so that we could run some blood tests. Bella's complexion had been pale every since she was a baby, but I didn't know what she was like while growing up, so I wanted to make sure she wasn't deficient in iron, calcium, zinc, and other vitamins that should be balanced in her system.

Howard, the officer, and the doctor left after Howard convinced Charlie that he needed to take Bella down to the precinct for them to take her statement, as this case was going to be a high profile, so they needed to do everything by the book.

I convinced Charlie to stay with us at Four Seasons making an excuse that it would be beneficial to Bella if Esme was near her. I explained to him that Bella must be missing Renee dearly, and that having a mother figure would provide her the comfort she needed right now. Bella came out of the bedroom with Esme's arm wrapped around her waist. What I hadn't anticipated was Edward's reaction to Bella.

"Fuck! Did Phil Dwyer do that to you?" I saw rage in Edward's eyes as he pointed at Bella's arm full of black, blue, and yellow bruises.

Bella got embarrassed and hid her arms behind her back. Jasper sent death glares at Edward. Jasper took his hoodie off and handed it to Bella. Bella started to cry again. Edward moved towards her, and took her into his arms.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry," he said to her softly and ran his hand over her head repeatedly to soothe her. I was surprised Bella didn't flinch to his touch. Then it dawned on me that Edward used to do this to Bella when she was a baby. Maybe she remembered his touch. When Emmett made her cry, he used to hold her till she stopped crying. I found Esme smiling at them. I was sure she had what I just remembered on her mind as well.

"Do you remember when Edward used to call Bella 'his baby'?" I whispered into Esme's ear. Esme smiled and nodded.

I called up Aro to update him. He told me to hold off on Bella making a statement until the Volturi Games' lawyers were present. He told me to inform Charlie that Volturi Games would provide them with their best lawyers to put Phil away for a long time, for what they had done to Bella, and that it was crucial that Bella was lawyered up now since Phil already had a team of lawyers with him.

Charlie sighed, but agreed to Aro's offer. I could tell that it was hard for Charlie to accept Aro's offer, but he wanted the best for Bella, and knew he couldn't hire lawyers as good as ones Aro could provide, so he had no choice, but to accept Aro's offer for Bella's sake. Charlie looked defeated and I felt for him. He probably felt useless. I reminded Charlie that he was all Bella had now. He was given the second chance to be the father he couldn't be until now, and that was what Bella needed the most which only he could provide.

We followed Charlie's cruiser to West precinct. Aro's lawyers were already there to greet us. Bella, Charlie, and I joined them to discuss strategy before Bella gave her statement. I sent Esme back to Four Seasons and asked her to check to make sure that Volturi Games had a suite booked for the Swans.

Bella's stomach growled during the meeting. Her blush was so adorable. I excused myself out of the room and called Edward over from where he waited for us. I told him to go and get some food. I was absolutely sure Charlie hadn't eaten all day and assumed the last meal Bella had was before noon with Jasper. I went to see Howard and explained to him that I sent my son out to get some food for Charlie and Bella, and that I wanted Bella to have some food in her system before she made her statement. I made an excuse that Bella had gone through a lot today, and feared that her blood sugar might be very low and wanted to avoid her from going into shock. Howard was understanding and told us to take our time. Court wasn't in session since it was the weekend, so they were no reason to rush.

Edward returned with food from Coastal Kitchen. I wasn't sure how Charlie would react to comforts of New Orleans since all Charlie ate that I knew of was pizza, steak and potatoes, and fish fries, but Edward assured me that there were burgers and fish and chips as well. Charlie Swan was famous for his daily visit to the diner. Even Edward knew the kind of foods Charlie preferred.

**EPOV**

Shocked was an understatement to describe my day. I never anticipated my day to turn out the way it did. The most I expected was Jasper doing the dirty with Jail bait and getting his ass arrested.

I just helped the Chief carry Bella back to their suite. She fell asleep in the car and he didn't want to wake her up. I don't think even I had the heart to wake her up either. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. You would never guess the kind of day she went through from the look she had on her face while she slept.

Jasper met us in the lobby. Dad had called Jasper over to the suite to join us for dinner. I wanted the Swans to join us as well, but Charlie declined saying that he was too tired and planned to hit the sack. Dad asked Charlie to give him a call when he was up in the morning so that he could get together for breakfast. I immediately knew it was Dad's way to ensure that Charlie and Bella ate without breaking their wallet. I was sure Dad assumed Charlie wouldn't order breakfast from room service.

We went to the ART restaurant inside the hotel. I was a little surprised at how blunt Dad was when he broached the subject concerning Bella.

"Jasper, would you explain to me how you met Bella? I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to get the whole picture," Jasper sighed and nodded at Dad.

"I met her online my senior year at Forks High. At that time I didn't know she was few months short of turning fourteen. She was intelligent, talented, mature and probably had more vocabulary than me. She showed me some of her artwork and I taught her how to program. I only found out last year how old she was when she slipped and let known to me that her mother gave her a charm bracelet for her sweet sixteenth birthday. After her sixteenth birthday she started to confide in me with her ideas of her game, The Ugly Duckling. I had no reason to connect her to Volturi Games. When Volturi games initially announced that they had a major title for Christmas, they didn't mention that it was Ugly Duckling, they just called it Project D. I was just as surprised as you all were. I didn't even know she was the Chief's daughter until last week. It was odd that she wanted to know about Chief Swan, but I just chucked it up as her interest in the police force. You know the rest."

"Thank you for sharing, Jasper. I'm glad she had you to rely on. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if you weren't there. So, after you met her you called Charlie?" Jasper nodded.

"I don't really want to recap what happened from that point. It's too painful. She broke down after she talked to the Chief. It was too much to see her cry for help to him. I took her home with me as Charlie asked, and called you guys when she went to take a shower. Is she going to be okay?"

"I'm taking Charlie and Bella to meet with the legal team at the office tomorrow. As soon as we're done we'll be going home to Forks. We'll most likely keep Bella with us until Charlie gets her room set up in his home. After all these years he still has Bella's nursery. He didn't change anything to that room. It will be a good change for him. He can finally start to heal."

I told Jasper I'll call him tomorrow to update him. He couldn't be in the meeting when he deserved to be there more than any one of us. He was the one who protected Bella all these years. He was the one Bella reached out for help. I felt stupid feeling jealous towards Jasper. He was the hero and I was the bad guy who attacked him earlier.

"Do you think I could sit in your office and wait there while the meeting took place? I just want to be there for her in case she needs me. I know the Chief is with her now, but she's not comfortable with him yet. She only met him today. It's going to be a hard day for her."

"No problem. I'm gonna go back to the office and probably crash there, so I'll come down and get you in the lobby at 8 a.m."

I knew security was going to be seriously tight tomorrow after the revelation that there was someone at Volturi Games who was in on it with Phil Dwyer. We were having Bella go through the pictures on the personnel files to identify the man and also see if she noticed anyone else. It was going to be one seriously long day tomorrow.

As soon as I was back in the office, I got the call from the pixie. She got left behind in Forks as it was Friday today and Dad didn't allow her to skip school.

"Edward! I saw the press conference on Youtube! Oh my God, it's such a disaster, but you still looked good when you saw Phil Dwyer get taken away by the police right in front of you."

"Hello, Alice. I'm glad you find this situation amusing," I said to my sister sarcastically.

"I'm left in the dark. Tell me what's going on. None of you would return my call, so I resorted to calling Rosalie, but even she said it's not her story to tell. What's all this secrecy? Have you all forgotten I'm family?"

I explained the situation to Alice and even she went silent after hearing what happened to Bella. Nothing ever shut Alice up. She was never at loss for words. Before we ended the call she asked me to make sure to hug Mom for her.

I found Emmett slumped over at his desk in his office. He lifted his head up and gave me a forced smile.

"You don't need to smile for me, Em. I know you had an awful day. How bad was damage control?"

"Mine was probably not as bad as the one the legal department experienced. I just finished going through the personnel files to pick out long blond haired male with blue eyes for the Chief's daughter to look through tomorrow. I had to make three separate lists. One list that contained all the long blond haired male with blue eyes, one with short blond haired male with blue eyes, and another with the rest so that it would be easier for her to weed the guy out. How's the kid holding up?"

"Better than expected. She's tough, but she could shatter any minute."

"I can't believe she's Boo-Boo-Bear."

"Who?"

"Your baby."

"What?"

"You don't remember?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"The Chief's daughter. You used to call her your baby. I called her Boo-Boo-Bear."

"I know we have a picture of her on top of the fireplace, but I don't remember her at all. You remember her?"

"Bro, I was probably like seven. Of course I remember her. I'm going to have a real hard time when I see her so broken tomorrow. She was like a sister to me, just like Alice."

"Don't make the mistake I made. I made her cry when I commented on her bruises." Emmett nodded. His humor was long gone. This tragedy really affected my family heavily.

I left Em's office to grab a cup of coffee from the lounge. While I was walking down the hall I felt like someone watching me. I looked around, but found no one. I had a bad feeling that this was just the beginning, and that something much worse was going to happen soon.

**A/N **

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	3. Chapter 3 Chaos

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 3 Chaos**

**EPOV**

I found Bella, Chief, Mom and Dad sitting in the conference room. Bella looked happy holding a box of cupcakes in her lap. She kept opening and shutting the box as if they were going to disappear next time she looked. She definitely looked like a carefree teenager at that exact moment. She smiled at me and offered me the cupcakes when she noticed me staring at her.

"Thanks, but I couldn't take your precious cupcakes," I pinched my waistline and feigned a scowl. Bella giggled and shook her head.

"Boo-Boo-Bear," Emmett yelled and came into the room. Bella squeaked and cowered behind the Chief. Chief laughed and Bella pouted.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. He's my oldest son, Emmett. He's actually the one who remembers you as a baby. He used to call you Boo-Boo-Bear." Mom explained to Bella.

"Hi Boo-Boo-Bear. Good to see you again. You're all grown up now. I feel old," Emmett said and held out his hand for a shake.

Bella chewed on her lips and slowly moved her hand out for a shake. She squeaked again when Emmett squeezed her hand.

"Easy, Son. Bella is quite fragile."

"Oh, sorry. I'm so used to Alice and Rosie. They're like made out of stone."

"Son, do you have the pictures of the employees you can show Bella so that we could get started?"

"He has a list? Ummm I don't know if it helps but I drew a picture of him last night," Bella said and opened her laptop to show us her drawing of the man who she believed worked for Volturi Games.

She was definitely talented. It was really creepy since she modeled the man's head in 3D high polygon. Emmett gasped when he saw the head model.

"Oh my God. I know him. He's a game level designer here," Emmett said and refined the search from his list he created of employees of blond haired male with blue eyes.

"James Bellinger. Fuck! He quit yesterday morning. I'm going to go and secure his station. I have a bad feeling he's not locked out of the system yet because of yesterday's chaos. I bet his key card still works and was at the press conference yesterday. Edward, bump the guy off the system, NOW!" Emmett yelled, jumped out of his seat, and ran out the door.

Dad grabbed the phone and called Aro's secretary. "Jane, could you send Head of HR& Administration to the conference room please? Please tell Aro we know who was involved in this incident involving Phil Dwyer."

I grabbed Emmett's laptop to check James Bellinger's keycard access history and locked him out of the server. The Chief and Bella looked stunned at us moving around like chicken without its head.

"Oh my god. James Bellinger is still in the building?" I yelled.

"Edward, call security and have someone guard this conference room," Dad instructed looking tense. Right after I made the call, Aro came in with Jane and Roger from HR& Administration.

"So, I heard that we now know the culprit. Who was it?"

"James Bellinger. Emmett recognized him from Bella's 3D head model."

"3D head model? You drew a 3D head model from memory? How fascinating. May I see it?" Dad turned Bella's laptop towards Aro.

"Brava! Well done!" Aro jumped and clapped his hands laughing.

I excused myself from the conference room after Emmett called to ask me to join him to see the head of security. He also complained that his key card wasn't working anymore. He wanted to look at the tapes matching the time stamp on James key card. We were shocked with who we saw on the screen. It wasn't James. It was Emmett.

"He switched his card with you?"

"Damn. No wonder my key card isn't working anymore. He couldn't have switched my card with his though. I had this key card on me the whole time."

"How could it be then?"

"I think I have a theory. Let me see your card," Em said and I handed him my key card. Emmett asked one of the guys to run my card and see who it belonged to. I was shocked to find out that my card was registered to someone else.

"I don't get it. What's happening?"

"I think James or someone hacked into the system and changed the owners of the key card. Now we can't trace him just through the key card access. We need to visually search him through the security tapes."

We asked the security team to run the facial recognition software and to notify us as soon as they found James in the tapes and returned to the conference room.

"Has something happened? It took you a while." Aro asked.

"Emmett and I went through the security tapes to see what James was up to, but we found out that he or someone hacked into the system and rearranged the owners of the key cards. We underestimated his intelligence. He was smart to reassign Emmett's card to his because he knew Emmett wouldn't be leaving the office much because of the current situation. We have the security team scanning for James in the security tapes, but it's going to take a while."

"Aro, maybe you should issue a lock down this weekend. Get rid of everyone from the building except for the people we need. I know it will be bad for business, but at this point we could be doing more damage by letting people in and out of the building. We should reassign new key cards to the employees on Monday," Dad suggested. Aro looked confused and said that he needed to consult with Marcus, Caius, and the legal department before he made a decision. He apologized to Charlie that he needed to take care of this issue right now and left with Jane.

"Dad, I'm hungry," Bella whispered to the Chief. Bella probably overestimated how quiet the room was since everyone seemed to have heard her.

"I have some things I need to discuss with Charlie. Edward, please take Bella out to lunch. Take Aro's bodyguards with you for precaution," Dad said to me.

"I'm not sure I want Bella out of my sight," Chief commented.

"Charlie, maybe it will be safer for Bella to be out of the office until we can be sure that James is out of the building. Aro's personal security details are one of the finest in the nation next to the president and the diplomats."

The Chief still didn't seem satisfied with Dad's explanation, but looked like he couldn't say "no," to Bella. He only met her yesterday. I could understand he didn't want to do anything that might harm his newly restored relationship with his daughter.

I took her to my office to pick Jasper up. He was patiently waiting in my office since early this morning. Bella let out a sigh of relief when she saw Jasper. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, Duckling. Long day?"

"Not for me. I did nothing except for sit in a conference room." Jasper raised his brow and waited for my explanation.

"I'll update you in the car. What do you want to eat? Oh, by the way we need to bring Aro's personal security detail along with us."

"Is the situation that bad?" I saw fear in Jasper's eyes.

"Just for precaution. No one really knows what's going on. James could be just a punk who wanted to make some quick cash or he could be scheming something huge that could even take Volturi Games down. No one knows what his motives are. So, where should we take Bella?"

"How about we go to Anthony's Bell St. Diner at Pier 66. The weather is nice and the view from the Pier is awesome."

"Perfect."

"How about we stop by an ice cream place before lunch?" Bella batted her eyelashes at me.

"No can do," I said and poked Bella. She growled at me and I stuck my tongue out at her.

On the way to the pier I updated Jasper on what we discovered in the morning. He was worried we had no idea what James was after. He couldn't sell Ugly Duckling to any other game publisher as is. What was James' motive? Was Phil behind all this or was there another mastermind behind all this? We just didn't have enough information at this point to rule anything out. While Jasper and I bounced theories, Bella was singing in the back of the car like nothing was wrong. She jumped out of the car as soon as we pulled into the pier. Her actions took Alec and Felix off guard. They cursed and flew out the car. I had never seen Alec and Felix so flustered. They were always in control. If Aro witnessed what just happened, I was sure they would be demoted.

We went to the restaurant with Felix and Alec flanking Bella. Luckily we got seated outside on the deck, but it probably made Felix and Alec's job more difficult. We had a beautiful view of the waterfront, the skylines, and Mt. Rainier. We ordered some burgers, fries, and salads. It was awkward having Felix and Alec sitting with us, but there were no other options. We had no idea if James had any intention of harming Bella. Bella seemed oblivious to what went on. It didn't seem to bother her having Felix and Alec with us.

"I love Seattle. It's so pretty here. The ocean, the mountain, the clear skies, they're all so beautiful. Is Forks like this too?" Bella asked excitedly.

Jasper and I bust out laughing. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but you're in for a disappointment if you expect Forks to be like what you see here."

"Duckling, we can describe Forks using just two words, rain and green. I'm surprised we never discussed weather." Bella tilted her head in confusion.

"Timber and Fishing," I added to the two word definition of Forks.

"Duckling, it rains all the time in Forks. There are beaches, but since it rains so often you rarely see anything like this. Everywhere you look you'll find trees."

"I get the feeling I'm not gonna enjoy my time there. It's only for a few months though. I turn eighteen soon anyway."

"You don't want to live with the Chief?"

"I don't want to crowd his style. Who wants to be stuck with a teenager after so many years of freedom? I want to go to college. Maybe I'll apply for colleges here. I could visit Charlie once in a while since Forks isn't too far from here."

I decided not to say anything. She looked excited and happy. I didn't want to ruin her good mood. She was a smart girl. I was sure she would realize how much the Chief loved and missed her over the years. Once she discovers that she might change her mind.

We were gone for over three hours, but they were still in the conference room when we returned. We went to drop in on Emmett, but found him with Rose on his lap, and her tongue down his throat. Bella blushed and giggled. I cleared my throat and Rose jumped off his lap straightening her skirt.

"Boo-Boo-Bear. Back from lunch?" Bella smiled and nodded. "Was the food good?" Bella rubbed her stomach and showed him how full she was by sticking out her stomach. She seemed so different from the person I met yesterday. She had a great sense of humor, she was happy, and she was definitely witty.

"Nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Rosalie. Emmett's better half. I'm glad to see you're feeling better." Rose wrapped Bella in her arms.

"Thank you." Bella blushed from the affection Rosalie had shown her. Rosalie must have really taken a liking to Bella. We rarely saw this side of Rose.

"Any idea when they're going to be done?" I asked Em.

"Dad and Chief dropped by earlier while they took a short break. Dad said there were too much to discuss yet so none of them are going back to Forks tonight. Dwyer's lawyers are in there with them right now."

"Wow, they sure didn't waste any time. We're not gonna cut a deal with them, are we?"

"No one wants to drag this thing out long, but we need to locate James Bellinger. Even Dwyer's lawyers want to find James. I think they're trying to make James the fall guy."

"In their dreams. Dwyer deserves more than forty years in prison for all that he'd done."

"I'm sure we're going to push for the maximum, but it's not going to be easy. He wasn't a crooked guy until recently. He and Bella's Mom were well known for their charity work. He even assisted in coaching the Pee Wee League in their town."

When I glanced at Bella, she no longer held that beautiful smile. She looked like her mind was someplace else. Rosalie noticed the change in Bella's mood and sent death glares at Emmett. Rosalie mouthed a "do something," at Jasper and me.

"Hey, how about giving Bella a tour of the office?" Jasper suggested.

"Sounds good, would you like that?"

"Sure." Bella didn't sound happy at all. It was one of those one word answers women gave you like "fine."

I waved at Em and Rose and took the lift down to start the grand tour of Volturi Games. I needed to get her attention immediately so I took Bella and Jasper to our motion capturing studio first. Luck was on my side and they were currently in session. I felt a sense of relief when I noticed Bella's eyes twinkle again when she saw our team working on the facial capture. We took pride in the facial movements and subtle expressions of the characters in our games. Bella raised her brow and questioned our sanity when she noticed that we had a tiger, elephant, zebra, and chimpanzee in the studio today.

"We like to be realistic in our games. They're all animal actors. They're perfectly safe."

"Haven't you ever seen 'When Good Pets Go Bad'? These animals aren't even pets!" Bella feigned a shiver. Jasper laughed clutching his stomach. Now that Bella's smile was back on her face I took her to the QA floor so that she could see our products being debugged and tested.

Bella actually blended in really well with the QA team since we had a lot of part time high school kids and interns. I immediately regretted taking her to the QA room since the moment Bella stepped into the room the productivity dropped. All the kids' eyes were on Bella and no longer on the screen.

"Is it just me? I feel like I'm in the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World. You know those eyes on the walls that look like a pattern on the wall paper, but they're actually eyes that look like they're following you?" Jasper said and chuckled.

"Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host, your ghost host." I imitated the voice of Paul Frees. Jasper bellowed and Bella glared at us.

"Shhhh. They're trying to work. Behave!" Her comment made us laugh even harder. We were just scolded by a 17 yr old.

"Sorry Miss Swan. Are you going to spank us?" I waggled my brows at her.

Bella furrowed her brows and stomped off down the aisle. Towards the middle of the aisle one of the bolder geeks stopped and introduced himself. He must not have realized that she wasn't alone.

"Hi, I'm Jason. Are you new here?"

"Ummm. Hi. I'm Bella. I'm just visiting."

"Oh, well have a seat. Let me show you what I'm working on," the Jason kid pulled a chair out for Bella, and she sat down beside him.

"Do you play games? What have you played recently?" Jason asked Bella. Good question. I was interested in her answer.

"Monster Hunter Tri and Splinter Cell: Conviction."

"Is she for real? Splinter Cell?" I commented to Jasper. "I thought she was more like a Final Fantasy kinda girl."

"Looks can be deceiving. No one is an open book like Emmett. He's such a GTA kind of guy."

Jasper suggested we move along. He seemed to go into protective brother mode, and no longer liked the Jason kid socializing with Bella. I called Bella's name and she waved goodbye to Jason and got into the lift with us. She was probably going to enjoy the next stop the most. I was taking her to the floor where our 3D design team worked. Contrary to my assumption, Bella scowled when she entered the room, and stared into one of the works the designer was currently drawing.

"Why is he redesigning my duckling?"

"Errr. Good question." I picked up my phone and called Emmett to come down here.

As soon as Emmett entered the room he shouted. "May I have some attention please? I'd like to see a show of hands from the people working on the Ugly Duckling or possibly a project assigned from James Bellinger. Please raise your hands high so that I can see who's working on those projects." I was shocked to see 3 hands in the air.

"What should we do about them?"

"Round them up and take them upstairs. We'll ask them a few questions and then hand them over to the legal team. I don't even know who we can trust anymore."

"Are you guys all working on the Ugly Duckling?" They all nodded. "Did James Bellinger assign you to work on it?"

"Yes," replied one of the youngest looking one while the others nodded.

"When did he assign this to you?"

"Yesterday morning. He told us to redesign the characters and upload it to his ftp site because he was going to be on vacation for a week."

"Have any of you uploaded anything yet?"

"We were supposed to upload yesterday evening, but we got kicked out of the office early because of the incident involving Phil Dwyer, so none of us finished it yet." Thank God someone from this department was smart enough to kick everyone out early.

"Did your team leader kick you guys out?"

"Mr. Aro Volturi's personal assistant came by and told us all to leave." Huh. I was surprised to hear that Jane was the one. I wondered who gave her the instructions to send the guys home

I asked the guys to forward the ftp site access information to Em and me, and any other contact information they received from James. This new revelation had really thrown us off. We had no idea why James had these guys working on Ugly Duckling, and how he was going to benefit from it.

"Bella, can you run me through what you've done with Phil? What I'm getting at here is I want to know exactly what you've provided to Phil. Have you given him any part of the source code? Start from the beginning please. I need this information to figure out what James' motives are." Emmett said to Bella.

"Ummm. Okay. Phil found my game design document for Ugly Duckling. In the document I had the storyline, description of the game environment and setting, description of characters, rough design of the characters, descriptions of the levels in the game, items, missions, puzzles, and user interface. He presented the document to Mr. Volturi and he showed interest. Then Phil told me to make a playable demo. After he sent the demo in to Mr. Volturi, a deal got signed. You'll have to find out what was agreed upon because I don't know. Phil never showed me the contract. Then Phil made me provide him a milestone schedule of what I'd be working on to complete the alpha version. Once I cut the pre-alpha version, Phil told me Volturi Games needed the 3D character models so I sent the data of the characters I drew that were going to be in the alpha version. The ducklings you saw your designers working on were from the models I sent. Yesterday Phil left with the alpha version to present to you guys for the press conference. That's about the gist of it."

"Wow! That sounds like a lot of work. What motivated you to come up with Ugly Duckling?" Em asked Bella.

"Ummm. It's kind of personal. Mom moved around a lot so I never really had friends growing up. I was a shy, uncoordinated, and plain girl. My Mom was a little off the norm. She dressed me in seventies clothing. Kids pick on you when you dress differently from them. They'd make peace signs at me or call me names like Thrift Store Swan and Ugly Duckling. You know, cuz my name is Swan. Junior High was no different, but I found an outlet. I found computer geeks who accepted me because they couldn't see me. I made friends and that was when I met Jasper. I started writing code after Jasper taught me. It was my escape from reality. Real life sucked, but on the net I was somebody. I started working on Ugly Duckling and planned to actually approach game publishers myself after I graduated from high school." Bella looked sad after she finished. Jasper wrapped his arm around her shoulder and whispered something into her ear. Bella smiled and nodded. I wondered what he said to Bella.

Just after Bella finished talking to Emmett, Mom and Rosalie stepped into the room. They waved at us and slumped into one of the chairs at the far end of the table.

"Mom, you look exhausted. Are you guys done in the conference room?" Mom shook her head and sighed.

"We keep getting interrupted. I stepped out to take you guys out to dinner. Phil Dwyer's lawyers left for the day. Charlie is leaving tomorrow for Forks so I'm going back with him. Caius convinced Charlie that they needed Bella's assistance here and he agreed as long as Bella was fine with it. Would it be all right if you stayed a day or two longer and came back to Forks with Edward?"

"Me?"

"Aro is assigning you to oversee the Ugly Duckling project from Forks this summer. You'll be back here in Seattle periodically with Bella to coordinate with the other people on your team, and to update Aro on the progress. We can't trust anyone else right now. After you guys found the designers working for James unknowingly, Caius went to check on the game level designers and found a few more working for James on the project as well. Caius is going to lead a team to investigate everyone involved in development. We have to move quickly. That's why Caius requested Bella's assistance. Bella, would it be all right if you didn't go back to Forks with your Dad tomorrow?"

"I get to keep working on Ugly Duckling?"

"You sure do. That's the first thing Charlie negotiated with my brother. He realized how much you loved your game. He didn't want that taken away from you. For payment he negotiated a deal with my brother for Volturi Games to pay for your college tuition, apartment, and monthly allowance. Now if you decide to go to college here in Seattle, you'll have a spot here at Volturi Games to work part time as well. You can go back to working on your game as soon as you're back in Forks. That's why Edward is going back to Forks with you. "

"I get to go to college!" Bella squealed. "I like it here in Seattle. I don't mind staying here longer. I have a nice bed and you guys feed me such great food. I need to do some laundry though. I'm running out of clean clothes."

"I can help with that." Rosalie smiled. "I'll take her to Pacific Place tomorrow morning."

"Rose, don't forget that she's still seventeen." Mom warned Rosalie.

"I know how to shop, Esme. I'll find her things that are age appropriate and comfortable for her. I'm not Alice. I'll pick out some jeans and T shirts at True Religion, dresses at Express, undies at Victoria's Secret, and some suits at Bebe for her. See, I can accomplish everything at Pacific Place. I won't wear her out and promise to bring her back after lunch."

"Ummm. I really just need to go to a Laundromat. I don't need anything new." Bella said looking worried.

"Is there something wrong, Duckling? You don't want new clothes?" Jasper asked.

"Ummm. I don't think I have enough money to buy all those things," Bella said and chewed on her lips looking down at her feet.

"Oh Bella, you don't have to worry about money. We're going to charge it on my brother's corporate card. It's the least he can do for all that you've done for him. You've saved Aro's face from embarrassment." Mom said and hugged Bella.

"I'm hungry. Let's go grab something, Mom." Emmett whimpered.

"Well, what would you like to eat, Bella?"

"Can we have some Chinese?"

"Of course. What do you suggest, Emmett?"

"How about P.F. Chang's? It's not the real authentic kind of Chinese, but I think Bella might like their food better, and it's close to the hotel."

"All right. I'll meet you guys in the parking lot. I'm going to go and get Carlisle and Charlie. Have Jane secure a table for us." Mom said and left the conference room.

"On it," Emmett said and picked up the phone to call Jane.

A/N

The story started in the beginning of June. Bella is turning 18 in September. Alice is already 18. Jasper is 22, and Edward is 22 turning 23 in June. Emmett and Rosalie are both 25.

Did you like this chapter? Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4 I'm not afraid to die

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 4 I'm not afraid to die**

**BPOV **

Morning came too soon. I loved this bed. It was so large, soft, and the comforter was heavenly light and fluffy. I wouldn't regret dying in this bed right now. The rest of the hotel room was fantastic as well, but I really, really, loved this bed. Dad found it odd that I slept with the door wide open. He laughed when he saw me trying to make snow angels on top of the bed.

Phil had me locked in my room for so long, that keeping the door open felt liberating. I dragged myself out of the bed and went to take a shower. The bathroom was the next best thing in this hotel room. The bathroom was full marble, spacious, with a deep soak tub and separate rain shower. It even had a TV. The rug was so soft, and the amenities were so fancy.

Esme took me to the spa after dinner. I didn't want to get naked in front of strangers so she booked me a hand and foot treatment. I got a manicure and pedicure for the first time in my life. Now my nails were painted pearly light blue. Dad smiled when I showed my hands and feet to him last night. He looked really happy when I told him all about how they massaged and scrubbed my feet. I really felt like a royalty, well I assumed that was how a Royal felt.

Dad and I sat in the dining room area of the suite when the breakfast was delivered, compliments of Volturi Games I suppose. I sat in the chair in my bathrobe like Vivian, in Pretty Woman.

Dad kept sighing while we ate. I think he really didn't want to leave me behind. We went to sit on the couch and watched TV after we finished breakfast. The terry robe was so comfortable. I wanted to stay in it as long as I could. My terry robe bliss ended when Rosalie came to our room to take me shopping. I went to change into my jeans and T shirt while Dad finished packing. I got done before Dad. I was sure he moved slowly on purpose.

Rose followed us down to the parking lot to see Dad off. I told her she could stay in the room, but she wanted to take me shopping as soon as Dad left, so she tagged along.

"Are you sure you're okay to stay for a day or two more alone with the Cullens?" Charlie asked with worry in his eyes.

"I'll be fine, Dad. They treat me really well."

"If anything goes wrong, call me. I'm only a few hours' drive away. I'll come and get you, okay?"

"Take care, Dad. I'll see you soon." I hugged Dad. It still felt awkward. I wasn't the hugging type and Dad didn't seem like one either. Even after he was buckled into his seat, he wouldn't start his car.

"Bells, are you sure you'll be fine? Promise me that you'll always have someone with you while you're here." He said to me after he lowered his window.

"Dad, I don't think that's even an option. Look," I said and pointed to Rosalie who stood a few feet away from us.

"All right. I'm going to go. I'll give you a call tonight. Carlisle is going to be here for a few more days, so you'll be staying with him. I'll get your bedroom set up, so that it's ready when you arrive in Forks. Esme told me that she'll help me with it. What color do you want for your bedding?" Dad was definitely stalling. It seemed like he couldn't leave me behind or he just didn't want to part from me.

"I like blue."

"Blue it is, then. I'll miss you, Bells." Charlie's eyes were full of tears, and looked like it would spill over any minute. I leaned into his window, and gave him a kiss on his cheek. It definitely wasn't something I normally did, but it just seemed like Charlie needed it. He'd been really good to me, so I wanted to do something for him. Charlie nodded and started the engine. I stepped back and waved at him as he drove away.

"Wow, I didn't think he'd ever leave. I thought I'd need to call for a tow truck and tow him all the way to Forks," Rosalie laughed. "Let's go do some damage," Rosalie grabbed my hand and pulled me to her car. Two hours later we had 3 shopping bags full of clothes and shoes.

When Rosalie heard my stomach growl she smiled and took me to Johnny Rockets for burgers, shakes, and fries.

"Slow down, Bella. You're going to make yourself sick if you eat so fast. I know the bastard starved you, but that's never going to happen to you again. Just relax and enjoy the food."

I didn't realize I ate like a pig. I just couldn't help myself when I saw food. I dreamed of food every night for almost a month. I needed to kick this horrible habit or I would embarrass the people around me.

"Bella, I didn't say it to make you self conscious. I just don't want you choking on the food." I nodded.

After we finished eating, Rosalie took me back to the office. She took me to the conference room we were in yesterday. I found Jasper and Edward there. They looked upset for some reason.

"What crawled up you guys' ass?" Rosalie commented laughing.

"We think James or somebody planted a virus in the computers belonging to the programmers and game level designers involved in Ugly Duckling. Well, actually we aren't sure if it's limited to them only yet. Since it's Sunday, not many people are here. Maybe there are more PCs affected. We just don't know yet. As soon as some of the guys came in and logged onto their PC, it triggered the virus and erased everything on their hard drive."

"Don't the guys back up everything on the server daily?" I asked Edward.

"They should have, but James instructed the ones working on Ugly Duckling not to upload on the server until they were ready to send it to him for his approval. Caius and his team are working on sorting this out, and find out how extensive the damage is."

"Well, I'm off to go and see Emmett," Rosalie waved and left the room.

"Did you have fun shopping?" Edward smiled and asked.

"Ummm. It wasn't bad, but I'm not used to the way Rosalie shops. She made me wait in the dressing room and brought clothes for me to try on at every one of the stores we went, so I never really got to see what the stores even had. Wait, that didn't come out right. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful."

"Bella, what you just went through was not shopping. You just modeled for Rosalie. We're leaving for Forks tomorrow so you should do some real shopping. Whitlock, could you take her shopping? Unlike Rose, you know what Bella likes."

"Sure. Are you hungry, Duckling? Do you need to eat before we shop?"

"Rosalie took me to Johnny Rockets for lunch. I really don't need to shop for anything more. I have more than I'll ever need. If I need something, I'll buy it in Forks." Edward and Jasper bellowed.

"Trust me, Duckling. You wouldn't be able to find what you need in Forks. You'll be back here next weekend if we don't get some more stuff today. You don't have to get more clothes."

"Oh, I got something to give you. Jane brought it down. It's your iPhone. Don't worry about the charges. It gets billed to Volturi Games."

"Ummm. Can I make personal calls with it? Like call you guys?"

"Do whatever you want with it." I smiled and thanked Edward.

I tried my best to convince Edward and Jasper that I didn't need to go shopping, but Edward wouldn't back down, and sent me and Jasper out shopping. Since I left all my cookbooks in Phoenix, I decided to ask Jasper to take me to the bookstore. He seemed really happy that there was something I wanted.

After shopping for the cookbooks, he took me to get some fruit smoothies. We sat in a café with seating outside. It still felt awkward having bodyguards. At least Felix and Alec looked more comfortable this time. They really stood out when Rosalie and I shopped for the clothes. Rosalie even took a picture of them when came into Victoria's Secret with us. I swear I saw Felix blush.

I was starting to feel a little sad while I sipped on my strawberry smoothie. I would have to part from Lone Star soon. He was my superhero and my security blanket He had always been a great friend to me, but I was never this attached to him since I only knew him online until now.

"Duckling, what's that frown for?"

"I'm going to miss you."

"Not for long, Duckling. Aro asked me to help you and Edward out this summer in Forks. I'll work on the game while you're at school. My Aunt Charlotte lives on the reservation with her husband, but Carlisle suggested I stay with them, so that I wouldn't have to be so far out on the res. I'm not taking any classes during the summer, so it worked out perfectly."

"Did you just say something about me being in school?"

"Oh, I didn't know the Chief didn't get around to telling you. The Volturi legal team together with your Dad worked out a deal with your old high school and Forks High. After you finish 6 weeks of summer school, your old high school is issuing your diploma."

"Oh. So that means I have to socialize with the kids in town then."

"I think Emmett and Edward's sister has to go to summer school in order to get her diploma as well, so you'll have someone to talk to. I don't really know her. I just saw her in their house when I'd hang out with Edward, but she's a Cullen, so I'm sure she'll be good to you. All the Cullens I know are great people. I'm sure you'd meet her before summer school starts."

"You know, everything seems too good to be true. Am I dreaming? Am I going to wake up back in my room in Phoenix? " I muttered and sighed.

**EPOV**

As I stretched after the 3 hour meeting I had with Aro and the marketing team, Victoria, from the legal department approached me in the hallway.

"Hi, Edward. Looking forward to going back to your hometown to look after that girl? What time are you leaving with her tomorrow? Do you have time to go on a date with me tonight?" Victoria asked.

I wished I never went out with her. She was really persistent, and didn't give up unless I went out on date with her, so I did. That was my mistake. She would be considered beautiful, if you liked siren red, long, and wavy hair. She just wasn't my type. She was too clingy and unpredictable. One minute she'd be all over you, and the next minute she'd be so cold. Maybe she was on something. I didn't want to know in case she got busted.

I started ignoring her, and it seemed like she gave up until a few days ago. She started to text me, and left messages on my phone. She had to know I was busy with this case, and she had to be too, since she was on the legal team. We didn't need anyone slacking off with this situation at hand.

"I don't think I'll have any free time, and even if I did, I've told you many times that it was fun while it lasted. Let us just part on good terms, Victoria."

"I know it's not going to work for us long term. I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I'm just talking about a date. You know, have a few drinks, hang out, and satisfy each other. If you know what I mean. No strings attached. I thought men liked women like me."

"I'm sure there are plenty of men who want someone like you, but that's not me. You and I work in the same company. It's not wise to have that kind of relationship. I think we're done here."

"Come on, Edward. Don't be like that. What's the harm in just a few drinks?"

"Victoria, you just don't give up, do you? I don't know how to say this nicely anymore. I said I'm not interested. You're a beautiful girl. You'll find anyone you desire. Stop wasting time on someone like me who's not interested."

"Oh well, I had to try. You'll miss me though, Edward Cullen. Call me when you do!" Victoria kissed me on my cheek and went cat walking down the hall.

"Ooooh. I saw that!" Emmett bumped his shoulder into me in the hallway.

"It's nothing."

"Getting a kiss on your cheek is nothin? I don't think so, bro."

"She won't leave me alone." I said and sighed

"And you're complaining? Since when does Edward Cullen turn a woman down?"

"You make me sound like a man whore. I'm not interested in her. I told her as much. I couldn't be any more forward than that. If she still contacts me I'll just ignore her."

"Man, what a waste. I'd tap that."

"Go ahead. She's all yours."

"Yeah right. Rosie will castrate me and feed my balls to Hannibal Lecter."

"I don't think even Hannibal Lecter will eat your balls." I said and laughed. "Anyway, what's next on the agenda?"

"Well, there's really not much else you can do. Caius and the people he brought in are perfectly capable of investigating who's involved. Our legal team sent a notice out to other game publishers, requesting them to contact us, if James or anyone else approached them in regards to Ugly Duckling, or something similar to it. We've had a lot of inquiries from users and press asking what's going to happen to Ugly Duckling so we posted a notice up on our website that Ugly Duckling hasn't been cancelled. We've covered our bases. I suggest you go home and pack to leave for Forks. There's really nothing left for you to do here at the moment."

"Al right. I might as well go pack. Where's Bella anyway? Who's looking after her?"

"Dad sent her back to the hotel with Jasper for a swim in the pool. She was getting cabin fever. After all she was stuck in her room for like a month. I don't blame her for wanting to go outside. They have a kickass pool at the Four Seasons. They've got the view of Bainbridge Island, the ferries, Olympic Mountains, and Elliott Bay."

"Nice. Maybe I'll go and join them. I've got my swim trunks in my locker in the gym so."

"Take Rosie with you. She's been bitching all day that she worked this weekend."

"She's your assistant. It couldn't be avoided."

"I like to keep my woman happy. Happy Rosie equals happy Emmett junior." Emmett waggled his brows.

"That is too much information, Em. Yuk."

"Whatever. Get going."

Rose was thrilled when I told her that Em wanted me to ask her to join me for a swim at Four Seasons. I asked her if she needed me to drop by their place to pickup her bathing suit, but she told me she had one in the trunk of her her car. We each needed our transportation, so we left in our own cars to Four Seasons.

Dad gave me the key card to the room Bella shared with him. "Damn, the view from here is gorgeous. They have the view of Puget Sound and Elliott Bay." Rose whistled.

"They have the next best to the Presidential suite. I hope the view is nothing short of amazing."

"Well, I'm glad she got to have a little luxury. She deserves it. Go ahead to the pool, I'm gonna order some cocktails, sit out on the balcony, and enjoy the view a while first."

"See ya later then, Rose." I said and waved at Rose.

I found Jasper doing laps in the pool while Bella stood cheering at Jasper. I laughed when I saw Felix and Alec sitting under one of the umbrellas wearing shorts and a polo shirt. I was sure they looked like a lovely couple to strangers. I got my phone out, took a picture of them, and sent the picture to Emmett and Rose. I was sure Emmett and Rose would have a blast.

I sneaked up behind Bella, grabbed her by her waist and plunged into the pool with her in my arms.

Bella squealed. "Edward, I'm all wet now." Hmmm, is she? I mentally slapped myself for my indecent thoughts. I had to remind myself that she was still a minor. I probably wouldn't get out of here alive if my family members, the Chief, or Jasper knew what I thought about her just a minute ago.

Bella went around me and jumped onto my back. I don't know what Jasper was thinking, but he jumped onto Bella's back. I now had two people on my back and I couldn't hold both of their weights on me, and we went plunging into the water backwards with Jasper on the very bottom.

We got out of the pool coughing, gagging, and laughing. The sun was going down and the breeze felt a little chilly. The pool had an outdoor fireplace that gave off the feel of a campfire, so we ordered some hot chocolate and sat by the fireplace.

"I had so much fun today. I hate that we're leaving tomorrow. What time?"

"We should avoid the morning rush hour traffic and leave right around noon. If all goes well we should be in Forks by 3 p.m. We can stop by a drive through on our way to Forks for lunch."

"Can we go to Dairy Queen?" Bella asked like her life depended on it. She really reminded me of Alice when she wanted something.

"Sure, we can do that. I haven't had the Cappuccino Heath Blizzard in ages. We'll stop at one here, and then we'll start our journey to Forks."

"Thanks," Bella hummed and sipped her hot chocolate. I was sure my parents would love to trade Alice for Bella. Alice would never be thrilled over a fast food joint. Alice was a tiny little thing, but she still worried about calorie intake. I was actually surprised that Rose took Bella out to a burger joint. Rose rarely ate fast food or red meat. It was nice to know that everyone, not just my family, was voluntarily stepping out of their comfort zone to make Bella happy.

While Bella animatedly spoke about her experience at Dairy Queen when she was a little girl, I received a call from Emmett.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Aro wants to see you three and me tonight for dinner. I'll text you the place and time to your phone. Rose got Bella a dress, right? Make sure she wears that. I'm quite sure the restaurant is going to be upscale. All right. I'll pass the info down. Oh, by the way, Rose never showed up at the pool. She said she was going to chill in the balcony, but I haven't heard from her since."

"Rosie called earlier. She decided to go to the spa there instead. She won't be joining us for dinner though. Aro invited only you, me, Dad, Jasper, and Bella. He referred to us as 'family'."

"Should I play the theme song of Godfather in the background?"

"Well, nothin' beats the Godfather. Anyway, I'll text the info as soon as I get it from Jane."

"Thanks, see you at dinner."

"What's up?" Jasper asked.

"Aro wants you, me, Bella, and Em to join him and Dad for dinner. Em's gonna text me when and where."

"What am I supposed to wear for dinner like that?" Bella looked scared.

"Well, can I see what Rose got for you today? I'm sure I can pick the right dress for the occasion." Bella nodded repeatedly.

Once Jasper and I were back in the suite, we went through the dresses Rose got at bebe for Bella. There was a mid thigh knit dress that the top part was white and the skirt part was black and tiered. The short sleeves puffed and there was a small keyhole cutout on the upper back of the dress. It was modest, stylish, and perfect for Bella. I liked it and showed it to Bella.

"How about this dress? I think it's chic and nice for dinner."

"It's a really pretty dress, but I'm afraid I might stain the top part since it's white."

"Just don't order anything with tomato sauce and you'll be fine." Bella nodded.

Jasper and I needed to change too. I had a garment bag with suit and tie and shoes in my trunk for occasions like this when I needed to go to business dinner, so I asked Jasper to stay with Bella while I went and grabbed my stuff from the car. The suite had 2 full bathrooms so Bella could use the master bath and I was fine using the other bathroom. As soon I was back, Jasper left to go back to his apartment to get changed. I told him I'd text him as soon as I knew where the dinner was going to take place. It was always like this with Aro. We were never notified of the location for security purpose until the last minute.

I was surprised that Aro was so hands on in regards to Ugly Duckling. He usually let Marcus or Caius handle the details. He had a reputation for liking younger women though. I was quite sure Jane was one of his girlfriends. Aro wasn't married, and it didn't seem like he had any plans of getting married either. The dates he brought to all the charity events and balls were always very young. I wondered if Aro's interest in Bella was more than professional. Just thinking about it made me sick. Aro was way too old.

It didn't take long for Bella and me to get dressed. We both sat on the couch and turned on the TV. I was really impressed how Bella took everything in a stride.

"Bella, how do you do it? The past two days had been so life changing for you, but you're so calm and collected."

"I think I just haven't had the chance to let everything sink in, but in all honesty, anything is better than being in that house with Phil."

"You're not worried that someone might be after you?"

"The worst thing that could happen to me is that I might get killed, right? I spent a month wishing I never woke up. I'm not scared of death. If I died today, I'd die happy. I got to meet Dad and Jasper, I ate a lot of awesome food, I got to stay at this fancy hotel, I won't be able to finish Ugly Duckling or go to college, but that's just minor details. You can't have it all."

I was at loss for words. These weren't words that should be coming out of a teenager. She should be thinking that everything was possible, and she should be chasing her dreams. I didn't know if I should cry that she didn't really have the desire to live or be happy that she was content. Phil Dwyer really did a number on her. From what I gathered from Jasper, this wasn't the Bella he used to know. I now had a new found determination to restore her back to the girl she used to be. I didn't like this Precious Moments -Count your many blessings kind of girl.

I was saved by Emmett's call. I just didn't know how to respond to her comments. Emmett informed me that Aro was picking us up in his limousine, and to be ready by 8 p.m. I asked for the name of the restaurant and location, but he told me Jane wouldn't tell him, and that all she told him was to have everyone gather at Four Seasons. I called Jasper up to let him know, and he said that he'll try to be at our hotel by 7:30 p.m.

**JPOV**

Duckling and Edward came down after I rang them up to let them know I was in the lobby. "Be prepared to sit here for half an hour. Aro is never on time." Edward said and sighed.

"You look really sharp, Lone Star," Duckling smiled.

"Thanks. I only own two suits. One for the summer, and another for winter," I said and laughed.

"Hah. I win. Rosalie got me 3 suit jackets, 2 pants, and 2 skirts that matched the jacket, so I own more suits than you do," Duckling smirked with her hands on her hips and Edward chuckled.

"Nope. I win cuz I got this at the premium outlet. I didn't have to pay full price."

"Darn," Duckling laughed.

While we teased each other, Emmett walked into the lobby. He looked like he came straight from the office. He was in the same suit he wore today. Emmett was working around the clock. I never thought he'd turn out like this. He never studied and was always stuck in detention when we were in high school.

"Look at you, all dressed up," Emmett teased and tickled Duckling. Duckling was saved when Emmett received a call.

The call was from the driver notifying him that they just pulled up to the hotel. When we walked out the lobby my brows furrowed when I noticed that Aro wasn't here in a stretch limousine. There was no way all of us would fit. When I glanced around Edward and Emmett had a scowl on their faces too. I assumed they probably had the same assumption I had in my mind.

"Go grab your car, Edward. Follow the limo with Jasper. I'll insist on riding with Bella in the limo. I don't want her alone with Aro," Emmett said and Edward went to get his car.

The driver opened the door and requested Duckling to step in. Emmett squeezed his ass into the car before Duckling, and pulled her in with her on his lap. I couldn't see Aro's face, but I could easily imagine his dissatisfied look.

The driver shut the door and told us to follow the limo to Canlis, and he slipped me a memo with the address and phone number of the restaurant. I was sure Aro booked a private dining room. I could easily assume that he'd be dropping a few grand at the restaurant tonight. It was ridiculous to try to woo her with expensive dining. She was the kind of girl who enjoyed casual dining where they had pictures of food on the menu. I really hoped Duckling would enjoy this dinner, and wouldn't feel too uncomfortable.

**EmPOV**

I never let go of Bella's waist in the car, and even after we were escorted into the private dining room. Aro kept glancing my way with his eyes narrowed. I had no intention of letting him treat Bella as his new toy. She was valuable to Volturi Games, and my family and I sincerely considered her as family, which meant that I would never let anyone hurt or mistreat her.

Aro requested that Bella be seated beside him, so I took the seat next to Bella and pulled her seat closer to mine with her sitting on it. She jumped in surprise, but she caught on when I winked at her.

Bella scowled when she saw the menu. I could easily tell she couldn't understand what the dishes were. I pointed to the Carrot soup for the first course, and Canlis salad for the second course, and Bella nodded. For the main course I pointed to the tortellini and steaks, so that she could choose, and she chose the steak.

"Oh, mi princesa bella, those are such ordinary dishes. You should try their creative ones," Aro said to her. It was an order, not a suggestion.

Before I could respond for her, Bella told Aro that she was too hungry to be adventurous and made Aro laugh. She was good. No one went against Aro, but she turned down his order with humor and charm successfully.

Dad sighed in relief. I don't think Dad or Aro understood that it wasn't that Bella didn't want to try the creative dishes, she just wasn't familiar with garnishes like piquillo peppers, rutabaga, honshimeji, kumquat, and other exotic mushrooms.

The dinner passed miraculously smooth. When it came to desserts, Aro ordered everything on the menu so that Bella could try a little of everything. He even purchased several boxes of Fran's gray salt caramel for her to take back to Forks.

On the ride back to the hotel, Aro promised Bella that he'd come to visit her sometime next week after she's settled in. Shocked wouldn't describe my reaction. Even Dad's jaw dropped. In all the years we've lived in Forks, Aro rarely visited us. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all. He was definitely mesmerized with Bella. Dad now had a permanent scowl on his face. He was probably pissed that after all these years of Mom begging Aro to visit her in Forks, he always had an excuse.

Dad stepped in and suggested Aro to come later, since Bella would be starting summer school in a few weeks, and she'd need to settle in first. Aro frowned, but looked like he understood. "I see. That would not be good. I shall come see you after you are done with school. We have lots to discuss about. The application deadline for autumn at University of Washington is over, but you can still make it for the winter term." Bella smiled and nodded courteously. She probably wasn't even decided on whether she wanted to attend UW or not.

**A/N **

I hope you liked the chapter. In the next chapter Bella will be in Forks. Relax while you can, it's the calm before the storm.

Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5 Denali Interactive

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 5 Denali Interactive**

**Charlie's POV**

I paced nervously in the living room as I waited for Bella to arrive. She should be here soon since she called an hour ago from Port Angeles. She sounded so excited that she got to use her new iPhone that Volturi Games got for her, and that she couldn't wait to show it to me.

I preferred Jasper over Edward to drive Bella to Forks, but he had to take care of subletting his apartment for the summer. Edward was a good boy, and I found nothing wrong with him, but the fact that Jasper was the one who rescued Bella, and risked himself by getting involved, gave me the confidence that I could trust him over anyone else.

I really had nothing to worry about since Aro's bodyguards, Felix and Alec, were tailing right behind Edward's car. Aro initially wanted to leave Felix or Alec here in Forks, but I declined Aro's offer. I didn't need outside help to protect my own daughter in my jurisdiction. My boys at the station were already informed about Bella's situation and ready to keep a tight watch over her. The people of Forks would have lost their faith in me, if I had accepted Aro's offer. I was the Chief of Police here. If I couldn't even protect my own daughter, how could they entrust themselves to me?

"Charlie, stop pacing around, she'll be here any minute now," Billy grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Who's talking? You've been wheeling around in this living room too." We laughed over how excited and nervous we both were.

"Hey, I hear a sound of cars coming," Jacob yelled from the kitchen where he drooled over the food and desserts Esme brought over earlier with Alice. That boy had some really good hearing, since both Billy and I didn't hear anything.

We all stepped out into the driveway to see if there really were cars coming up. "See, I told you," Jacob pointed towards 2 cars coming down the street.

I chuckled when I noticed how slow Edward drove. When he was still in Forks as a teenager, I had stopped both his brother and him for speeding far too many times. He must have purposely slowed down once he was in Forks.

Edward stepped out of the car and walked around to get the door for Bella, but she was out before he had the chance. Edward scratched his head and Bella fidgeted, looking unsure what to do next.

"Welcome home, Bells," I said and took a few steps towards her.

"Hi, Dad," Bella waved a little and blushed.

"This is Billy Black and his son, Jacob."

"Hello, Bella. I would hug you, but you know," Billy said and pointed to his wheel chair. "Charlie and I go way back. I was even at the hospital the day you were born. I was next to hold you after your parents. You were a beautiful baby, and now you're breathtaking."

Bella's face was crimson from embarrassment. She looked like she wasn't used to compliments. She flashed a shy smile and thanked Billy.

"I'm Jacob. It's nice to meet you, Bella," Jacob approached Bella and hugged her. I narrowed my eyes at Jacob and he quickly pulled away.

"Hi," Bella smiled shyly.

I held my laugh when I saw Edward move closer to Bella and glared at Jacob. Billy and I watched Jacob and Edward eyeball each other.

"I'm going to have a lot of fun watching you shoo the boys away from Bella. Thank god my girls are all grown up."

"Chief Swan, we should get going. We'll notify Mr. Volturi that Bella is safe at home with you now," Felix said to me.

"Thank you for keeping Bella safe," I shook hands with Felix and Alec, and they got back into their car for their trip back to Seattle.

"I should get going, too."

"Thank you for everything, Edward. You're welcome to join us for some snack. Your mother prepared them and dropped it off earlier."

"I'm sure my Mom and my sister are both eagerly waiting for my return. I'll come by tomorrow to discuss with Bella how to proceed with the project if that is all right with you. "

"You might want to talk to Alice first. When she was here earlier with Esme, she said she would drop by tomorrow to introduce herself to Bella." I said and Edward laughed and shook his head.

"Bye, Chief. Bye, Bella. Call me if you need anything." Edward smiled at me, winked at Bella, and smirked at Jacob.

I sighed, thinking over what Billy jokingly said earlier. I had a bad feeling I really was going to have to swat the boys off Bella. Pretty soon the people in town would hear of Renee's death and Bella's return. There was no way to avoid people showing up at our door, acting as if they were here to welcome her, when all they really want to do is see what Bella looked like.

I had Jacob haul all of Bella's belongings to her room. He was more than happy to do it. I gave Bella the tour around the house, which really wasn't much. She looked shocked to know that we only had one bathroom in the house. I installed another cabinet in the bathroom, per Esme's advice, just for Bella. She could use half of the existing shelf and the new one.

Esme was a godsend. She let me have a full size bed from one of her guest rooms and even gave me a set of new blue bedding. She even went shopping for curtains, rug, and other items for her room with me yesterday. I felt horrible when I walked behind Esme as she inspected what I needed to purchase in order for Bella to feel comfortable living here with me. Esme frowned every time she opened a cabinet, and saw that they were mostly empty. I lived on bare necessities. It wasn't that I couldn't afford any luxury, I just didn't see the need to have much of anything since it was just me in this house for the past 17 years. By the time we finished shopping and put things away, I was afraid my home didn't have enough cabinets and storage room.

After Bella was settled in her room, Billy and Jacob left to give me time alone with Bella. I told Billy they didn't have to leave so soon, but Billy insisted telling me that today was a special day for me and that we should be alone together without any intrusion.

Bella came down after she unpacked her things and lay down on the couch. "I assume the recliner is your spot, so I'm claiming this couch as mine," Bella said and giggled. I just nodded, put my feet up, and handed Bella the remote. My nose hurt and my eyes started to get teary. I was emotional over just sharing a remote control with her. It was a very small, simple, action, but it was the first thing I shared with her in this house today. I sniffled and Bella looked at me tilting her head in confusion. I mentally slapped myself for acting so emotional.

After flipping through the channel Bella settled on watching Lost. I froze when she stopped on Gossip Girl earlier. I have never actually seen a whole episode of Gossip Girl, but had seen some parts of it when the ladies at the station watched it in the break room. A few minutes into the show I glanced at Bella and noticed that she fell asleep. I turned the volume down and heard cute little snores from her. She reminded me a lot of Renee. She was no longer with us, but I thanked her for bringing Bella back to me. I believed that this was Renee's doing, returning Bella back to me.

**APOV**

I couldn't sleep last night. I was too excited to meet Bella. I was the last one to meet her in my family. I got to see some pictures of her though. She was neither brooding nor the cheerful type. She seemed shy, but from the looks in her eyes I could tell she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I sincerely hoped she wasn't quick to pass judgment. Most people couldn't be bothered to give me a chance to show them that I wasn't just a fashion loving, hyper, bouncy, annoying pixie who meddled in others' business.

When I went to Edward's room, he was already gone. I went to the kitchen to ask Mom when he left for the Swan's. She told me that he left five minutes ago, but asked him to stop by the grocery store on the way to buy some ice cream to take to the Swan's, so if I left now I could beat him to the punch.

I rushed to my car and drove straight to the Swan's. I knocked on their door, and was surprised to find Bella answering the door.

"Hi, I'm Alice. Edward's sister."

". I'm Bella."

"Well, are you going to make me stand here all day?"

"Ummm. Please come in. I thought you'd come here with Edward."

"He's running some errands. He should be here soon. How are you adjusting to life in Forks?"

"I just got here yesterday, so I haven't ventured out of the house yet."

"There's not much to see anyway, but I'd be happy to drive you around town later if you'd like."

"Thanks, but I should ask my Dad if it's okay to step out of the house."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about the security issues. That's so neat you had bodyguards when you were in Seattle. What does your Dad plan to do while you're here?"

"Not sure. We haven't really had the chance to go over the details yet. He probably assumes I'll be working with your brother, although I have no idea if your brother plans on me working at your house or here."

"I hope it's at our house. Then I can hang out with you guys. I heard you knew Jasper. What's he like? He used to come to our house, but Edward didn't let me hang out with them since I was too young back then."

"He's a great guy."

"Oh, come on, Bella. He's not just a great guy. He's sexy and hot!"

"If you say so. I guess I never saw him that way. He's my mentor and like a brother."

"Good to know. I have one less competition."

"Oh, you like Jasper?" Bella looked surprised.

"I've had a crush on him since the first day he came to our house when Edward was in high school. I was too shy to talk to him back then, but whenever he was at our house he'd smile, and wave at me."

"Well, you'll see a lot of him soon. I think he said he'll be staying with you guys during the summer instead of living on the reservation with his Aunt's family."

"Really?" I couldn't be happier. I bounced on their couch from excitement. "Let's go to your room so you can tell me more about Jasper," I said and tugged on Bella's arms.

We both sat on her bed and I eagerly waited for her to tell me more about Jasper. This wasn't something I was able to do with my brothers. I always wanted a sister.

"What do you want to know about Jasper?"

"Do you have a recent picture of him? He hasn't been back in Forks in a while." Bella shook her head. "Okay, it doesn't have to be recent then. Any picture is fine," I said and Bella shook her head. "What? You don't have a picture of him? Edward told me you've known Jasper for a few years now and you don't have a picture of him?"

"I sometimes wondered what he looked like, but I never asked him, or asked for his picture. I never planned on meeting him in person."

"I bet he was curious about you though. Does he have a picture of you?"

"Nope. He never asked for my picture either."

"You guys are either the most unmindful people I've ever known or the most shy ones."Before I could ask more questions about Jasper, I heard Edward talking to the Chief. "Please don't tell my brother that I have feelings towards Jasper."

"Oh, okay. No problem." Bella looked confused. I quickly came to the conclusion that she probably never had a crush on anyone before, otherwise she would understand why I'd want this to be a secret between us.

"Hey baby sister. Hi Bella," Edward said from the doorway. "Can I come in?" Bella smiled and nodded. "Did you sleep all right last night?"

"It's no Four Seasons," Bella giggled. "I like this house though. My bed is really nice, thanks to your Mom. The sheets and comforter feel just as wonderful and soft as the ones that were at the hotel. The couch in the living room isn't bad either. I fell asleep on it last night, but I think Dad carried me upstairs, and tucked me in bed." Bella said and it was my turn to giggle.

"What were you talking to Chief Swan about?"

"I wanted to know what his plans were in regards to Bella's protection."

"What did he say?"

"Well until summer school starts he's dropping Bella off at our place when he leaves for work. Once summer school starts then he's driving Bella to school and picking her up. If he can't, then he wanted you to take Bella back to our house."

"Are there room for any negotiation?" Bella asked Edward frowning.

"I don't think so, but I'm sure Alice can give you some pointers on convincing others to change their mind," Edward laughed.

"Wanna go out to grab something to eat? Aren't you bored stuck in the house all day? Let's go. Edward can drive us." I suggested to Bella.

"Ummm. Okay. Let me ask Dad. I'll be right back," Bella said as she went out of her room. Chief Swan came up to her room with Bella right behind him.

"Alice, where will you be taking her? I don't mind her going to the diner, but make sure you don't take her out of Forks. I can't protect her properly out of my jurisdiction." Wow. Chief Swan seemed really paranoid. All we planned to do was just go out for burgers.

"No problem, Chief. We'll just go to the diner." I said and gave him the most innocent looking smile I could muster.

"All right then. Have fun kids. I trust that you'll keep an eye out on her, Edward. Don't let her wander off on her own. Please call me as soon as there is something wrong or anything out of the ordinary." Edward nodded to the Chief.

As we went down the stairs, I heard the Chief call the station informing them that Bella was off to the diner. I would hate to have people keep tabs on me. I don't know how Bella did it. She had to have a lot of patience to withstand all this. I would feel smothered if I was in her shoes.

The diner was fairly empty. Few of my classmates were there and as soon as we entered all eyes were on Bella. I was sure as soon as we sat down, they'd come over to introduce themselves. We took a table close to the entrance. Edward thought it would be best to sit there so that if anything happened we could get out of the diner quickly.

As soon as we ordered, Mike got up from their table and came over with Jessica trailing behind him. "Hi, Alice. Who's your friend?" Mike asked. Grrr. I wanted to keep her for myself. I didn't want to share my new best friend.

"This is Bella Swan. Chief Swan's daughter."

"Hi, Bella. I'm Mike Newton. Are you visiting the Chief?"

"Hi, Mike. Ummm. My Mom passed away, so I'll be living with Dad from now on."

"Hi, I'm Jessica. It's nice to have someone new in town. Speaking of someone new, I guess it is officially tourist season now, there's a guy back in the end booth we've never seen before."

"Really?" Edward asked as he tried to see who was sitting in the back.

"Yeah. There's a guy back there. Not the kind of tourist you see around here though. I've never seen anyone in dreads in Forks before." Jessica said to Edward while she pointed towards the end booth.

"Stay here. I'm just gonna step out and make a call," Edward said in a tense voice and stepped out of the diner. After Edward came back he kept looking outside the window.

Few minutes later, one of the Chief's boys came into the diner. He ordered a burger, but kept glancing towards the end booth. I put two and two together, and assumed that Edward called Chief Swan, and he sent one of his boys to check out the tourist.

Once our food arrived, Angela and Ben came over to meet Bella. Bella seemed to have fun chatting with Ben when she realized that Ben was a techie just like her.

"So, Bella, are you off to college soon?" Ben asked.

"It's a little complicated. I haven't finished my senior year yet."

"Oh, are you going to summer school here then?" Angela asked.

"Unfortunately, that's my best option."

"I'm sure it won't be so bad. Mike, Jess, and Lauren are going to summer school too."

"So am I," I said to Angela.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Alice, but at least Bella has you to keep her company."

"Speak of the devil," Ben chuckled as Lauren and Tyler stepped into the diner. Lauren narrowed her eyes at us.

"Hey, guys." Tyler said and walked over to our booth with Lauren behind him.

"Who's she?" Lauren asked.

"Why do you have to be so rude? The least you can do is introduce yourself to her first." Ben said and scowled at Lauren.

"Why would I do that to a total stranger?"

"I'm Bella Swan, and you are?"

"Swan? Are you Chief Swan's daughter?" Bella nodded shyly at Lauren.

"I've heard of you. You and your Mom left Forks when you were a little baby right?" Bella nodded. "What made you come here? Mommy dearest no longer wanted you?"

"That's enough, Lauren." Edward snapped at her. When I glanced at Bella, I saw so much pain in her eyes. I felt like flying out of my seat, and throwing myself onto Lauren like a luchador, but I didn't want to get kicked out of the diner. It would cause more harm to Bella than good.

"My Mom died. Is that reason enough for me to be invading your perfect little world?" Bella snapped back at Lauren. Whoah. I had never seen this side of Bella. I knew she had it in her from the moment I saw a picture of her. She wouldn't have survived all that happened to her if she didn't have a backbone.

"Let's go," Edward said. Lauren wouldn't get out of the way so Tyler grabbed Lauren's arm and made way for us to get out.

We hurried back to the car and when we pulled into the Swan's driveway, I noticed the car that was parked by the diner earlier drive past the house. It was an old Mustang with Washington license plate. I only noticed it because I had never seen that particular vehicle in town before. The only conclusion I could make was that the car belonged to the tourist with dreads.

Edward told me to wait in the car while he went inside the Swans' home with Bella. I waited in the car patiently for a few minutes, but got bored and stepped out. I stretched my arms in the air. When I looked down the street, I saw the Mustang that went by earlier parked on the side of the street. I wondered what it was doing there. There wasn't a house or a trail out into the woods from that spot. Few minutes later the Mustang left. I assumed the tourist was parked there to check out the map. I got back in the car and waited for Edward to come out.

**EPOV**

It had been a almost a week since I was back in Forks with Bella. She had settled in quite well, and had been hanging out here with Alice, and occasionally with Angela and Ben. Today I received a call from Emmett that Aro cleared with Chief Swan that he wanted Bella to attend Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at the convention center in downtown Los Angeles. Emmett informed me that Aro was sending Felix and Alec, to pick me and Bella up for the drive to Seattle day after tomorrow, and that we would all leave together in the Volturi Games private jet on Monday for Los Angeles. We were presenting the demo version of Ugly Duckling at the show, so Aro wanted Bella to witness her work presented at our booth.

I was surprised Chief Swan agreed to let Bella leave Forks. Emmett explained that Aro was able to convince the Chief that Bella would be protected 24/7 by Felix and Alec along with the rest of his personal security detail. Volturi Games rented out one floor of Millennium Biltmore Hotel, hired extra security separate from the hotel security, and that she would be staying in my parents' hotel room for the duration of her stay in LA. I was excited I get to go. I had given up on going to E3 when I was told that I'd be spending this summer in Forks with Bella and Jasper.

Right after Emmett's call, Jasper called to tell me that Emmett also called him and asked him to attend E3 with us. He sounded more thrilled than I was. I wondered how Bella reacted when the Chief informed her of her travel plans. I could easily assume she had a similar reaction to that of Jasper's.

E3 was a once in a year event all gamers looked forward to. Publishers held parties, concerts, prizes and novelties were given away, celebrities came to the show, there were photo op events, signing events, and it was also a great opportunity to play the upcoming games before release. It was a dream and a nightmare for the publishers and developers since we all had to have the booth organized, playable demos completed, but in the end of the day we all loved it. It was one of our biggest opportunities to promote our upcoming game titles.

I could only imagine how crazy things must be at Volturi Games right now. We had to be way off schedule for many of the games due to delays caused by Phil Dwyer and James

Bellinger. In a way I was glad I was here in Forks. If I was there I would probably be running around trying to accomplish ten things at once for Emmett and Aro. The only thing I was responsible for was to accompany Bella to Seattle, and to stay with her throughout the show for three days, and bring her back to Forks in one piece.

After I was off the phone with Jasper, Alice ran into my room squealing in excitement that she was coming with us to LA so that she could keep Bella company.

"I'm going to E3!" She said and bounced up and down on my bed.

"Cut it out, Alice. Get off my bed. Stop invading my privacy."

"You're no fun. I'm off to Bella's to help her pack since Mom and I'm leaving for Seattle tomorrow, so I only have today to help her. Mom and I are taking her shopping on Sunday in Seattle."

"Dad's not leaving with you guys?"

"He said Chief Swan would probably feel better if he was with you guys on the drive to Seattle so he's staying behind."

"Is Jasper going to E3?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just asking. I'm sure Bella would feel more comfortable if he was there too so."

"He'll be there. Aro asked him to attend." Alice clapped and bounced around. She seemed so thrilled for Bella that Jasper was coming.

"See ya later!" Alice ran out my room.

I wondered if I would have to wear a Volturi Games T shirt or if I could be in a suit. I used to help out on the floor to explain the games and answer questions while I was in college, and was forced to wear T shirts with graphics from the games we were presenting on the floor, so that the visitors could spot us easily. Since I wasn't working the floor this year, I certainly hoped I could be in a suit or anything that didn't have a game logo or Volturi logo on it.

Sunday came too soon. I was on the phone all day yesterday with Aro, Jane, and Emmett to get briefed on all the activities during our stay in LA. On Monday night we were all expected to attend the party Denali Interactive were holding. They always held their party on the eve of E3 and we held our party on the first night of the show. This was a deal worked out between Aro and Eleazar Denali in 1995 when Electronic Entertainment Expo first started..

Aro and Eleazar had once been very close. They were childhood friends and started developing a game together while they attended MIT together. As soon as they finished grad school, they started a software company together, but had a fall out a year later when Eleazar fell in love with Aro's girlfriend, Sulpicia. Eleazar ended up cheating on Sulpicia. Sulpicia fell into deep depression and took her life when Eleazar left her for Carmen. Autopsy revealed that Sulpica was pregnant with Aro's child. Aro never forgave Eleazar and blamed him for Sulpicia and his unborn child's death. I firmly believed that Aro never got over Sulpicia and his child's death, and that was the reason Aro never married.

Even though they hated each other they always acted cordially at events for business reasons. Eleazar's daughters, Irina, Kate, and Tanya, all worked for their father now. Tanya and I both graduated from University of Washington this year. We both had friends in the same social circle as well, so I used to run into her quite often while I was still in college, and she was persistent in asking me out on a date which I turned down every time so that I wouldn't upset Aro, since I planned to join Volturi Games after I graduated.

I dreaded going to the party tomorrow. I was afraid that Tanya was still obsessed with me and didn't want her all over me at the party in front of Aro. I hoped that having Bella beside me would make Tanya think that Bella was my date, and would stay clear from me. I needed an ally to keep Tanya away from me at the party. I knew Alice would help me out if I asked. She never liked Tanya. Tanya and her sisters used to pick on Alice when we vacationed in the Hamptons when we were young. This yearly event of attending the party hosted by Denali Interactive was awkward at best, but we always plastered a smile on our faces, and lived through the night so that there wouldn't be any negative press coverage, and the Denalis did the same when they attended our party.

Felix and Alec arrived in a limousine and picked Dad and I up first, and drove to the Swan's. I rather liked being driven from Forks to Seattle in a limo. Felix, Alec, and Dad got out of the car to knock on the Swan's door while I just stayed by the car. The chauffeur picked up Bella's luggage, and escorted Bella into the car. It was quite painful to watch Chief Swan part with Bella. He kept waving towards the car even when it wasn't possible for him to see her since the windows were tinted.

"Are you excited?" Dad smiled and asked Bella.

"You bet!" Bella squealed. "I'm going to LA. I'm going to the biggest game event of the year. Of course I'm excited! Will I get to play other publisher's games? Please say yes."

"I'm sure that can be arranged, Bella." Dad chuckled.

**A/N**

Did you like this chapter?

I should be finishing up on introducing all the major characters that will appear in this story in the next chapter.

Please leave a review. I'd love to know your thoughts on the chapter.


	6. Chapter 6 I miss you Mom

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

**I only own the plot of the story. **

**A/N **

Please accept my sincere apologies for not updating in a very long time. Work has been really hectic and I was just too tired to write and had no creativity left in me. It's really hot in Tokyo right now and that also does not help my motivation to write. I'll try to keep myself motivated so I can keep updating in a more timely manner.

So here's the new chapter. The following is a little recap of what's happened up until now. Enjoy!

**Previously:**

Renee passed away and Renee's boyfriend, Phil, locked Bella up in her room and had her work on the Ugly Duckling software project. Phil claimed the software as his own and sold the rights to Volturi Games belonging to Aro Volturi, Esme Cullen's brother. Phil takes Bella along to Seattle for the press conference at Volturi Games. Bella calls Lonestar (Jasper) for help and he comes to get her. Bella asks him to contact Charlie Swan for her and he comes to rescue Bella and has Phil Dwyer arrested. Bella goes back to Forks to live with Charlie. Aro requests Bella's presence at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in LA. Charlie agrees and Bella is now in Seattle to leave for LA the following day on the Volturi Games company jet.

**Chapter 6 I miss you Mom**

**BPOV**

The driver dropped Edward and Carlisle off at the office and took me straight to the hotel where Alice and Esme waited. Carlisle told me that Esme and Alice were taking me shopping for dresses to wear for the parties at E3. I didn't understand why the dresses they got me last time I was here in Seattle wasn't good enough, but I wasn't about to argue. The Cullens were very good to Charlie and I, so I had no intention of acting ungrateful.

"Bella!" I heard Alice squeal when she entered the limousine and she slid in beside me and hugged me.

"Alice! Behave! You're scaring her," Esme glared at Alice and then smiled at me after she gently sat across from me.

"So, I was thinking we should grab something to eat first! What should we get? There are so many great restaurants to choose from here," Alice said excitedly.

"Can we go to Arby's?"

"Where?" Esme asked.

"Arby's. You know? The God of Roast beef sandwiches? You've been seriously deprived if you've never had their beef and cheddar. Mom and I used to go their when we felt like treating ourselves for something special!"

"Well, I haven't had the pleasure of dining at Arby's, but I'm sure we could find it. Alice, will you please find the nearest Arby's and instruct the driver?"

"Sure Mom. Just a sec," Alice said and started the search on her iPhone. "Oh good! There's one on 4th Avenue," Alice said and gave the address to the driver.

"How are you adjusting to living with Charlie?" Esme asked with concern in her eyes.

"It's all good. Dad doesn't talk much, but he tries to make me feel comfortable. He gives me space so that I don't feel smothered. He doesn't hover. He usually just sits in front of the TV in his recliner and I take over the couch," I said and giggled. Esme smiled and nodded.

The driver let us off in front of Arby's and as soon as I was out of the car, Alec and Felix were on both sides of me. Alice giggled and squeezed herself between Felix and me.

"Alice! Don't bother Felix and Alec. It's hard enough protecting Bella in a crowd of people and they don't need you interfering with their job," Esme said and scowled at Alice.

"Chill out, Mom. I'm sure they don't mind, RIGHT?" Alice said and glared at Felix and Alec. Esme just sighed and shook her head. Felix and Alec just looked very uncomfortable.

"So, what would you guys like to have?" I asked Felix and Alec. "You can't just sit and not eat."

"A cup of coffee or soda would be fine with us," Alec answered, but I knew Alec was hungry as I heard his stomach growl while we were on the way over to Seattle from Forks.

"What? Just coffee? Come on! I'm sure I can pick something great for you guys," I said and pulled Alice up to the counter. After annoying the girl at the counter for taking too long to decide, I finally chose several different sandwiches so there would be something to make everyone happy. Esme found a table for us all to sit and we sat down and finished our sandwiches.

After lunch, we drove out to the Bellevue Square mall for our shopping. 2 hours later, I had 3 sundresses, 2 pairs of flats and one low heeled sandals. Once we were done shopping for my things, Esme wanted a new pair of sunglasses so we headed to Nordstrom in the mall.

I leaned on the counter while Alice tried to find the perfect pair of sunglasses for Esme and watched the two interact with each other while they giggled and laughed trying on different sunglasses. Watching them brought back memories of the good time I had with Mom. Money was tight so we never shopped at these high end stores, but for Mom and me the flea markets or garage sales were like shopping malls.

The more I watched them having a good time I felt a pang in my heart. My heart felt like it was being squeezed and it was hard for me to breathe. I felt something warm drop on my hand and realized that I had tears running down my cheeks. I needed to get out of here and fast before I lost control of myself. I wiped the tears away and ran up to Felix and Alec. I told them that I didn't feel well and needed to go back to the hotel. Felix whispered something into Alec's ear and then he took my arm and led me out of the store quickly. Few minutes after we were back inside the limo, Alec returned and we were off on our way back to the hotel.

"Oh crap. I don't have the room key," I blurted out sniffing.

"Not a problem, Ms. Swan. Alec took care of it. He got the key from Mrs. Cullen after he explained to her that we were taking you back to the hotel," Felix explained to me.

"Thank you," I said and Alec nodded.

I tried really hard, but the traitor tears wouldn't stop. The pain in my heart was unbearable. I had never experienced something like this. I never missed my Mom this much before and couldn't understand why I was feeling this now.

"Will you be all right Ms. Swan? Would you like us to take you to the hospital?" Alec asked worriedly.

I just simply shook my head as I was afraid that if I did more than that the floodgates would open. I didn't want to feel any more pain than what I already felt.

Alec stayed outside the suite with me while Felix went inside to check the suite out. Once Felix was through he came to get me and he stayed in the living room while I went straight to the bedroom that had two Queen beds and assumed that it was the room I was to share with Alice. I kept the door open as I still didn't feel comfortable having the door closed after being locked up in my room back in Phoenix by Phil. I crawled under the covers and cried into the pillow.

**EPOV**

I was at my desk packing things I needed for some of the meetings during E3 when I received a frantic call from Dad.

"Edward, I need you to go to Four Seasons and check up on Bella. Your mother and Alec called to let me know that Bella didn't feel well so she needed to go back to the hotel. I can't leave the meeting right now so please head over to the hotel and take Bella to the hospital if she needs medical attention. According to Alec Bella has been crying all the way from the mall to the hotel. He told me that she was clutching her heart, but didn't want to be taken to the hospital," Dad explained to me in a distressed voice.

"How am I going to know that she needs medical attention?" I asked Dad. He was the doctor. Not me. "I'm sure Felix and Alec are better trained to assess her condition than me."

"Just do as I asked, Edward. Stop wasting time and get over there. Check up on her and call me. I'll help you through it." Dad sounded really pissed.

"Sorry Dad. I'll head over there right now," I said and hung up the phone. As much as I felt sorry for Bella for all that she's been through, but there were times where I felt ticked off that our lives seemed to revolve around her. I had to up and leave Seattle for Forks to coordinate her work on Ugly Duckling. I understood that it was part of my job, but still I didn't understand why it had to be me and not Emmett. Even Jasper alone could have handled things perfectly. I just hated living in my parents' house when I had a perfect apartment back in Seattle.

I found Alec standing outside the door of the suite. He looked so relieved when he saw me. It was probably the first time for me to witness Alec not in control of the situation. He always had this glum poker face on and today he just looked stressed. Even his perfect hair was messed up like he had run his fingers through his hair numerous times in distress. To me Alec and Felix was always like Agent Smith from the Matrix.

As soon as I stepped into the suite Felix came over and pointed to the bedroom with the opened door. I heard sobbing while I approached the bedroom. When I peeked into the room Bella was curled up under the covers with the back of her head showing. I didn't want to scare her so I called out to her softly while I approached her bed.

"Bella? It's Edward. Do you feel sick?" I said and sat on the edge of her bed gently.

"Please (sniffle)… please (sob) leave me alone," Bella said while she sobbed.

"I'm sorry. I need to check on you to see if I need to take you to the hospital."

"I'm (sob) not sick. (sob). Please (sniffle) go away."

I sat further onto the bed and gently touched the back of her head. "What's wrong then? Why are you crying?" I asked feeling helpless.

"Please (sniffle) go away. I don't (sob) want you (sob) to see me cry."

"Talk to me, Bella. Tell me what's wrong. What can I do to make you feel better? I'm here for you. Do you want me to call Jasper? Do you want me to take you back to Forks?"

"I'm okay. (sob). I just (sniffle) miss my Mom," Bella choked on her words and I felt my heart shatter. I felt like an ass for the times I felt pissed off at her. I only realized now how broken she was.

I leaned closer to her and wrapped one of my arms over her and held her close to me. "Cry, Bella. Let it all out. It's okay to cry. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You loved your Mom and she was a really large part of you. There is no shame to grieve over the loss of your loved ones," I said and kissed the back of her head that peeked out of under the covers.

"It hurts. (sob) It hurts (sob) so (sob) much. Please (sniffle) make it go away, Edward," Bella said and pulled the covers off her and sat up. Her nose and eyes were red and eyelids puffy. I held her tight into my arms and leaned my chin on top of her head while I rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"I wish I could take the pain away from you and make it mine. I wish I had magical words to make you feel better. I'm an ass and never had my heart broken. I've been slapped, kicked, stabbed, and I've had things thrown at me. I have stitches on my head from a vase one of my ex-girlfriends threw at me, but I've never had my heart broken. One of them even delivered ten pizzas to me and I had to pay for all those pizzas although it made Emmett happy. The only loss I've felt were when my pets died and I'm sure you wouldn't want me to compare the loss of your Mom to my pets," I said to Bella genuinely, but Bella started to giggle through her sobs.

"Are you trying to comfort me? You're failing miserably, you know?" Bella sniggled (sniffle plus giggle).

"Oh, but I'm trying you know?"

"No wonder you have so many angry ex-girlfriends."

"I admit I'm an ass. I already told you," I said and smiled at her. Bella tried to smile back at me, but it came out all scrunched up and funny looking. I wiped the tears off her cheeks and kissed her forehead. "You will always miss her, but the hurt will go away little by little. Time will come when good memories will take more space in your heart than the pain you feel right now," I said and held her tighter.

"Thanks Assward," Bella said and squeezed me.

"Anytime little one." Bella rolled her eyes at me.

"Feeling better? Wanna go out for coffee or something?" Bella nodded and headed to the bathroom.

While I waited for Bella, I received a call from Jasper. "Cullen, Alec won't let me in! I'm just outside the suite. Carlisle called that something was wrong with Bella. Let me in!" Jasper yelled into the phone.

"Whitlock calm down. Everything's under control. Bella is getting cleaned up right now. We'll be out in a few minutes, but just don't ask what happened. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable or ashamed about what happened. I'll let you know later."

"Just tell me."

"She's gonna come out any minute and I don't wanna get caught explaining what happened."

"You know, you probably could've finished explaining to me what happened while you just explained to me why you couldn't tell me now."

"You're right, but just leave it for now, okay? We'll be out in a few minutes." I said to Jasper and hung up the phone. For some reason I just didn't want to share what I went through with Bella with anyone else, especially Jasper.

**JPOV**

I felt like breaking down the door when Alec wouldn't let me into the suite. I gave up on the idea as Alec was trained to fight and there was no way I could take him down. He'd whoop my ass. It even aggravated me more when Edward wouldn't tell me what happened to Bella. I was the closest person to her. Not Edward. Carlisle called Edward before me. I realize he trusts his sons over me, but he should've realized that Bella would've been more comfortable with me around than Edward. I felt like I failed both the Chief and Bella. I had no clue what happened other than she was possibly ill and crying and now I wasn't even going to be clued in on what happened until much later.

Edward had his arm around her shoulder when they came out of the suite. Bella smiled at me, but her smile was really weak and her eyes were red and puffy. I glared at Edward, but he just rolled his eyes at me. What an ass! Of all the people he should know how much I cared about her like she was my own sister. I felt this vibe off Edward as if he thought of me as some kind of competition. The Cullens were very protective of each other but Bella wasn't a Cullen.

"So, where to?" I asked them.

"I was thinking we could maybe walk down Chinatown. Sound good?" Edward asked and looked at Bella.

"Cool." Bella said and nodded.

We strolled down Chinatown and people kept staring at us. Alec, Felix, and Edward were all in their suit and Bella and I were wearing jeans and a T shirt. We must've seemed like a really odd bunch to the people around us. Bella's mood seemed to improve while we went through the stores. She seemed to like the little Chinese toys we saw in many of the souvenir stores and we got her a golden piggy bank.

Edward scowled when Bella suggested we sit down for coffee at Starbucks. He thought it was really unoriginal to go for coffee at Starbucks in Chinatown instead of going to a Chinese café. Bella reasoned with him that she wasn't in the mood for being adventurous and wanted a frappuccino that she was sure she was going to enjoy

"What should I tell your Mom and Alice if they ask?" Bella asked Edward.

"They won't. I'll talk to them," Edward said and Bella nodded.

I really wanted to know what happened, and hated this feeling of being left in the dark, but after seeing Bella I understood that whatever happened earlier was something she didn't want discussed. I also didn't like this feeling of losing Bella to the Cullens. I wondered if the Chief felt something similar having the Cullens always around Bella or did he also feel the same about me being around Bella? I was lost in my thoughts until I felt Bella shake my arm.

"Earth to Lone?"

"Oh, sorry. My bad."

"Care to share?" Bella looked worried. I hated that I made her worry when I should be concerned over her and not her over me.

"I just spaced out. I'm just a little tired."

"I feel the same. Can we go back to the hotel now?" Bella asked Edward.

"Of course. Shall we?" Edward said and got up from his seat.

When we got back to the suite, Alice was the only one there. Esme and Carlisle had dinner plans with Aro so Alice was left behind at the hotel. "Where were you guys? Edward, I left you tons of messages!" Alice glared at Edward. Alice raised her eyebrow and looked at Edward and Edward mouthed "not now," at Alice. Alice simply nodded back at Edward.

We all felt beat and decided to order room service and catch a movie on demand. We tossed the coin between The Runaways and Cop Out and ended up watching Cop Out.

We munched on the junk food that Alice ran out to get from the convenience store nearby and pizza and finger food from the room service menu. Towards the middle of the movie I heard snores and looked around to see who was asleep. I chuckled when I found both Bella and Alice asleep on each other and Bella dribbling on Alice's shirt. Edward's body shook trying to hold his laughter in. We left the girls as is till the end of the movie. Since Alice was beside me I carried her and Edward carried Bella to the bedroom.

I freaked out when I saw the mess on Alice's bed. The bed was covered with clothes and makeup and lingerie she must have picked up on her shopping trip.

"Hey, some help here," I whispered to Edward. Edward chuckled and after he tucked Bella in bed he tossed everything on top of Alice's suitcase and pulled the covers over for me. After I finished tucking Alice into bed we walked back into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

"So…" I said to Edward trying to prompt him to share what happened today.

"Bella misses her Mom. I think now that everything is finally settling in, she was hit with tremendous amount of grief over the loss of her Mom that was buried because of all the horrible things done to her by Phil," Edward said and looked defeated.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with it alone. I should have seen this coming. She really had no time to grieve."

"I think it's a good thing that she's finally grieving. She can finally heal and have her life back," Edward said and I nodded at him in agreement.

"You're a good guy, Cullen." I tapped his shoulder with my fist.

"Well, not according to Bella. She called me Assward," Edward chuckled.

"What did you say to her?" I laughed.

"I told her some of my horror stories of the ex-girlfriends violent reactions to me when I broke up with them," Edward explained laughing.

"And why would you even bring that up to her? I thought she was crying?"

"I didn't learn the tools to console a damsel in distress."

"Damn, for someone who gets all the hot ladies, you really don't understand women do you?" I said and Edward pffted at me. "Well, I'm gonna go. Do you want me to stick around till your rents come back?"

"Nah. I'll just catch another movie or something. See ya at the airport." Edward said and waved.

"See ya," I said and left the suite.

**BPOV**

My head hurt like I slept too much when I got out of bed. Alice was still asleep in her bed beside me. I was thankful when I noticed that Alice or someone kept the bedroom door opened for me. I walked out of the bedroom as quietly as I could so that I wouldn't wake Alice up. When I got to the dining room area of the suite, I found Carlisle and Esme up already and enjoying a cup of coffee. I was a little nervous since this was the first time to see Esme since I abruptly left to go back to the hotel and wasn't sure if Edward already explained to them about what happened.

"Oh, good morning, Bella. You're up really early. It's only a little after 5 a.m.," Carlisle said and Esme smiled at me.

"I'm not sure when I fell asleep, but my head hurts like I slept too much. I get these weird headaches when I sleep too much."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like some Tylenol or would a cup of coffee do the trick?"

"I'll try coffee first, and if it doesn't work, I'll take you up on the Tylenol," I said to Esme and sat down while she poured me a cup of coffee.

"Help yourself to breakfast. I went crazy and ordered several different breakfast items on the menu. I wasn't sure if you preferred just toast or pancakes or waffles. There are also scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, sausages, breakfast potatoes, hash browns and fruit salad you can choose from."

"Wow. Awesome! You're all treating me too well. Will you adopt me?" I said and giggled.

"Well, how about we trade Bella for Alice?" Carlisle said to Esme and chuckled.

"Trade who for whom?" Alice said as she stumbled into the dining area with just only one of her eyes open.

"Just a suggestion," Carlisle said and laughed.

"Oooh strawberries, whipped cream and waffles! My favorite!" Alice squealed and plated the waffles and sat down to eat.

"We're leaving here at 6:30 so I suggest you eat quickly and get ready," Esme said to Alice.

"Ummm you said it's only a little after 5 a.m. right? We have almost an hour and a half. What's the rush?" I asked confused why the need to hurry.

"Alice usually needs more than two hours to get ready. Please don't ask me why because I still haven't figured it out even when she's my own daughter," Esme said and laughed.

"That's not fair. I just don't like to rush. At least I'm never late which can't be said about Emmett." Alice scowled and took a large bite out of her waffle.

Before I knew it, I was really full and I rubbed my stomach arching my back a little to make room for my heavy tummy and grunted.

"Sheesh! You sound like an old man," Alice laughed.

"Can't help it. My eyes are greedy, but my stomach seems to have shrunk," I said to Alice and stuck my tongue out at her making Esme and Carlisle laugh.

"Just be careful, Bella. It's going to take a while for you to be able to eat all that you used to eat. You don't want to make yourself sick from indigestion. There is only so much your body can digest at once," Esme said and smiled.

"I will. Well, I think I'm going to go and shower. I'll be out real quick so that you can have the bathroom," I said to Alice and got up.

"Bella, go ahead and take as long as you want. Alice can use the master bathroom since we are done with it."

"You know the master bathroom has a nicer shower booth and tub, maybe Bella will enjoy that more?" Alice suggested.

"Would you like to use the master bath instead, Bella?"

"I don't really care. Anything is nicer than Charlie's bathroom," I said and Carlisle laughed earning a glare from Esme and he hid behind the newspaper. "You know what, I'll take the offer for the master bathroom. It'll probably easier since you already have some of your stuff in the other bathroom. All my stuff is in my suitcase so I'll just roll it over to the master bedroom," I said to Alice.

"I can help you with that," Carlisle said and got up, but I stopped him.

"My suitcase is tiny. I can roll it over myself, but thank you for the offer," I said and left the dining room to fetch my suitcase.

I closed the master bedroom door and kept the bathroom door open instead. Esme and Carlisle already had their luggage at the entrance so they weren't going to need the room anymore. I quickly showered and dried myself. I stood in front of the mirror and checked myself out. I looked a lot better now that I had a little more fat around my body. My hip bones and ribs were sticking out horribly when I saw myself last time I was in Seattle.

While I was pulling on the fat around my tummy I heard a sound by the door. When I turned around I met a pair of emerald green eyes staring at me in shock. We both screamed at the same time and froze.

It took both of us several seconds to snap out of it. Edward quickly apologized and slammed the door shut.

I heard Esme and Carlisle asking what the scream was all about and I heard Edward explaining to them that he wanted to take a leak and since he saw his parents on the balcony so he assumed it was safe to use the toilet in the master bathroom. Since the bathroom door was open and no sound was coming from it, he thought it was safe to enter the bathroom and that he was really really sorry.

Then I heard footsteps leaving the bedroom and the door closing, but I heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Esme asked in a really sweet and caring tone.

"Well, could you dig a hole out there so I could bury myself?" I was really embarrassed and hoped some humor would help the situation.

"Edward feels really horrible. Please forgive him."

"There's nothing to forgive. It's not a big deal. I'm sure it's nothing he's never seen before," I said and sighed. It could well be his first time to see someone so underdeveloped. His ex-girlfriends must have been like super model gorgeous with a hot body. Rosalie was like a goddess. I'm sure Edward's ex-girlfriends must have been equally beautiful.

"If you're too embarrassed to see him right now, I could make him meet us at the airport instead of leaving with us," Esme suggested.

"I'm a big girl. Please don't worry. I'm sure I'll be relatively okay. Thanks for caring."

"All right. Well, take your time. You still have more than half an hour," Esme said and I heard her close the door to the master bedroom.

**EPOV**

I felt so horrible running into her naked in the bathroom. She flushed crimson from her face down to her chest. I would burn in hell to eternity. It was very possible that it was her first time to be naked in front of a man. I felt like I took something special away from her. I felt like a pervert for enjoying what I just saw and not able to push it out of my head. She looked so pure and beautiful. The few extra pounds she must've gained since I first met really did wonders to her body.

My face felt hot so I had to fan my face while I sat on the couch. "Morning, Peepward," Alice said and giggled. I glared at Alice. "I can't wait to tell Emmett."

"Don't. You'll make Bella uncomfortable."

"I was just kidding, Peepward."

"Stop it," I said and pinched Alice's cheek softly.

"Owie! Mommy! Daddy! Peepward is hurting me," Alice yelled laughing.

"Kids, calm down. No name calling. I'm sure Bella is already uncomfortable enough," Dad said and scowled.

"Sheesh! None of you guys have any sense of humor., I walk around half naked all the time and no one makes a big deal out of it," Alice said and huffed.

"That is because we got sick of telling you to wear something on the top when you sun bathe out in the yard in just your bikini bottoms," I scowled and said to Alice.

"Lots of European people are topless on the beach. There is nothing wrong with nudity. Our bodies are all beautiful," Alice glared at me.

"Alice, you may be comfortable with nudity, but not everyone is. You need to respect different opinions. We know from the scream that this subject is something that makes Bella uncomfortable so no more of this talk. Understood?" Dad said to us and we nodded.

Few minutes later, Bella came out rolling her suitcase. I quickly went to her and whispered my apology to her. She blushed and nodded. Dad told us to wait for them in the limousine while they waited for the suitcases to be picked up. Alice, Bella and I left the suite with Felix walking ahead of us and Alec behind us.

**A/N**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I haven't written in a little over two months so I'm a little rusty especially since I rarely write in English. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.

This is a Bella and Edward story. Eventually they will fall in love, but not until Bella turns eighteen in a few months. So for now I'll be writing things in that shows the development of feelings between them.


	7. Chapter 7 Chaos in LA

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot.

**Chapter 7 Chaos in LA**

**EPOV**

"Oh my god, the plane looks exactly like the one in Criminal Minds," Bella said excitedly when she boarded the Volturi Gulfstream jet.

"You're a Criminal Minds fan?" Dad asked Bella.

"Well I like Hoch. Mom and I loved him in Dharma and Greg. So I started to watch Criminal Minds and loved it. I haven't seen it since I started living with Charlie though. He's a sports kinda guy," Bella said and scrunched up her nose.

"I can understand. Your father probably sees enough crime on a daily basis that he'd want to escape from it all once he's home," Dad said and nodded.

"It's not like there are serial killers in Forks or anything of that sort," Bella said and shrugged her shoulders.

As soon as we all sat down, Aro boarded the plane with Jane and two other personal security details since Felix and Alec were assigned to protect Bella instead of him. Aro walked over to Bella and smiled.

"Good morning, Bella. I'm grateful your father allowed you to accompany us on this trip to Los Angeles. I promised your father that I'd keep you protected at all times. Please make sure to stay with Edward, Jasper or Carlisle and don't wander off anywhere alone." Aro said and Bella pouted but nodded. Aro went into his private cabin with Jane on the plane and we all buckled our seatbelts for takeoff.

The flight was smooth and quick. Mom, Alice, Jasper, and Bella slept through the whole duration of the flight, so I chatted with Dad to discuss what the schedule was like for the next three days.

"You, Jasper, and I'll go straight to the convention center with Aro as soon as we land in Los Angeles. Your mother, Alice, and Bella will check into the hotel. We'll go back to the hotel once to get changed for the Denali Interactive party."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that the Denali party is tonight," I said and sighed. I really wasn't looking forward to seeing the Denali sisters, especially Tanya. "Do you think Eleazar knows about Bella and the Ugly Duckling project?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"What are we going to tell him if he asks who Bella is?"

"I had a discussion with Aro last night and we decided to introduce Bella as Alice's friend from Forks. We won't be deceiving anyone because she really is Alice's friend. We're just omitting some details," Dad chuckled.

"Actually that sounds really good. We're all about giving as little information as possible to the Denali family anyway."

Both Bella and Alice were curled up into a ball in their seats. They looked really peaceful and comfortable since they were both really petite. Jasper on the other hand looked uncomfortable although these seats were made quite luxurious.

When we arrived at our booth at the convention center I saw Rose running around checking to make sure things were in order. "Thank god you guys finally arrived. I could really use some help from Jasper. We're having some technical difficulties," Emmett said and Jasper followed Emmett towards the back of the booth. Dad and I decided to wander around and see what the other publisher's' booths were like. A couple booths away were the Denali Interactive booth and we ran into Kate.

"Hey!" Kate said and smiled at us.

"Hello, Kate. It's nice to see you. How are you and your family?"

"Busy, but Dad seems to be enjoying himself since Tanya finished school so we all work for him now. How are Esme and Alice?"

"They're great and with us on this trip. We'll all be attending your party tonight," Dad said and smiled.

"Awesome. I'd better get back to work though. I look forward to seeing you all tonight then," Kate said and we said or goodbyes to her.

After we returned to our booth, Jane came to inform us to go to one of the suites Volturi Games booked for meetings. The staff meeting had already begun and Emmett was in his element briefing people of the schedule and who was assigned to what duty. When he finished calling out all the names of people responsible on floor duty I was confused that my name wasn't on the list and looked at Aro for some answers.

"I assigned you to keep an eye on Bella. During the times when you are not available Jasper will watch Bella. I want to make sure she is not ambushed by any of the media people in case they have some kind of information relating to Ugly Duckling and Bella. You won't be able to follow Bella into the ladies room, so please make sure to have Alice or Rose accompany her there. Any question?" Aro asked and I just shook my head. I wasn't really happy, but decided to just go with the flow. At least I got to be here at E3.

After the meeting, Dad, Jasper, and I took a cab to the hotel while Rose and Emmett followed behind us in their rental car. When we got to the hotel I was a little pissed when I found out that I had to share a room with Jasper. I was hoping I had a room to myself. I laughed when Dad told me that Mom and Dad's room, Alice and Bella's room, and ours were all connecting rooms. He informed Jasper and I that Aro planned it this way so that Bella and Alice's room were between ours and not beside some other Volturi Games staff for safety reasons.

"Wow. I'm impressed. Aro really thought everything through didn't he?"

"Never underestimate your Uncle."

When Jasper and I got into our hotel room, I could hear Alice and Bella laughing from next door. They seemed to be having a great time. Jasper went to the door that connected the rooms and knocked.

"Hi Alice and Duckling!" he shouted. I heard my sister's distinct giggle and heard the door unlock and open.

"Oh I didn't know you guys checked in. Don't you guys need to like shower and get ready for the party?" Alice's hair was done, but she was wearing the hotel robe. She was swimming in it since she was so petite.

"Yeah. I just wanted to say Hi and let you guys know we're here," Jasper said and smiled at Alice.

"Okay. Well I'd better hurry up and get dressed. I'll leave this door unlocked. Come visit when you're done so you can join Bella. She's been done for a while now so she's bored," Alice said and rolled her eyes and Jasper laughed.

When we both got dressed we walked into the lounging area of Bella and Alice's room. Bella was sitting on the couch wearing a simple champagne colored halter dress that came a little above her knees. I was stunned by her beauty. Her hair was curled and had some of it up, she had some makeup on, and her lips just looked so kissable. I mentally slapped myself for having these thoughts about her, but I just couldn't help it. She looked really hot and sexy. She no longer looked like a teenager. I just never saw her this way and it made me nervous.

Then Jasper elbowed me and glared. "What the fuck, Cullen. Stop oggling."

"Sorry," I said and looked down embarrassed for getting caught by Jasper.

"Hey, Duckling. You look great!"

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself Lone," Bella blushed and smiled.

While we sat on the couch and waited for Alice, Mom and Dad came over. "You look lovely, Bella. I almost didn't recognize you," Dad said and Bella fidgeted. She looked very uncomfortable receiving compliments.

"You really do look lovely," I said to Bella. As soon as Alice came out of the bedroom, she slid her arm through Jasper's and announced that she was ready to go. She wore a very short sexy black lace dress, but she still looked like a child. Dad escorted Mom out the door, so I offered my arm to Bella and followed behind Alice and Jasper.

Emmett and Rosalie were already in the lobby waiting for us. Rose looked stunning as usual in a pant suit with a silver tank top underneath. She looked sophisticated and elegant.

When we got to the club where the party was being held, we were quickly escorted to the VIP lounge. Aro was already there with Jane talking to Eleazar and his wife. As soon as Eleazar noticed us, he approached us and greeted us all.

"It's so good to see you both again. I see that all your children are here. You must be so proud of them. Carlisle, who might this young lady and young man be?" Eleazar asked looking at Bella and Jasper.

"Eleazar, this young lady is Bella. She's Alice's friend from school. This young man here is Jasper. He's Edward's best friend since high school,"

"I'm happy you both could make it to our party as well. Thank you for coming. I hope you'll all have a great evening. Let me escort you all to your table," Eleazar said and escorted us to the table beside their family.

"Edward! So good to have you here tonight," Tanya got up from her seat and smiled. As soon as she noticed Bella on my arm she glared at her.

"Hi Tanya," Alice said and smiled at her. This had to be Alice's way of diverting Tanya's attention on Bella to her. Otherwise she wouldn't have bothered to talk to Tanya. When Tanya noticed Jasper, she smiled and introduced herself to him. She looked happy again. Jasper's look must've impressed her. Women instantly fell for boyish good looks, his blond hair and blue eyes. Her sisters Kate and Irina also got up and introduced themselves to Jasper. Jasper took their hands and kissed them one by one, but Alice had a grasp on one of his arm and wouldn't let go of him. I started to notice that Alice seemed to look happier when Jasper was around. I wondered if she had a crush on him.

As soon as we all got seated Dad asked Jasper and me to get drinks for him and the ladies. We went up to the bar and got wine for Dad and Mom, and sodas for Alice and Bella.

**BPOV**

I felt really nervous walking into the club. I had never been to a club and the only experience closest to this I've ever had was my junior prom and I hated it. Immediately after Edward and Jasper left, Tanya, the mean looking strawberry blonde, slid onto the chair beside me.

"You're Edward's girl of the month? I pity you. He's going to dump you before you even know it."

I knew how to handle these types of girls. They were typically insecure of themselves. I decided to steal a line from the movie Pretty Woman. "I'm just using him for sex," I said to her nonchalantly. The girl's jaw dropped. She looked dumb with her mouth open.

"Close our mouth, dear," Alice said and giggled stealing another line from Pretty Woman.

The girl's face turned really red from anger and frustration. She clenched her fists and stomped off from our table. Alice and I laughed so hard we had tears running down our face. I relaxed and was really starting to enjoy this party.

Edward and Jasper must've noticed something went down since they rushed back to the table. "Are you all right? Did Tanya do something to you?"

"No problem, brother. Bella took care of her. I'm sure Tanya won't bother you anymore tonight," Alice said and laughed. Edward looked confused.

"What did you say to her?" Edward asked.

"I think she was jealous of me because I came here with you. She called me your girl of the month, so I just told her I was just using you for sex," I said and Jasper bellowed. Edward looked shocked at first, but as soon as he calmed down he laughed really loud.

One of Tanya's sisters came to our table while we were all laughing. "I've never seen anyone do that to my sister. I like this girl, Edward. Don't let her go, but if you do, send her my way," she said and winked at me.

"Sorry Kate. She's mine and I don't plan to let her go," Edward said and put his arm around my shoulder. I blushed crimson and looked down at my hands.

"Awww, she's blushing. So sweet and pure. I'm jealous," Kate said and giggled. "Anyway, your Dad and Aro wants you at my Dad's table," she said and grabbed Edward's arm.

"Excuse me for a minute. Take care of my girl, Jasper," Edward said and winked at me. What's with all the winking tonight? My face felt hot and I grabbed the drink menu and fanned myself.

"Well that was interesting," Jasper muttered. He didn't look thrilled at all.

"Oh come on, it was funny," Alice said and laughed. "I've never had so much fun with the Denali's around. You're the best!" Alice said and kissed me on my cheek.

"Ewww, Cooties." I laughed and wiped my cheek with Jasper's hand.

"Just so you know, I think Kate was serious about wanting you," Alice giggled.

"Oh…" Jasper said and my jaw dropped. I was too caught up with Edward's joking claim on me that it never crossed my mind that Kate was a lesbian and that she was interested in me.

While we laughed about all that just happened Emmett and Rose joined our table. "How is my Boo-boo bear doing?" Emmett and Rosalie smiled at me.

"Having a blast!"

"Really? I never found Denali Interactive's party remotely interesting."

"That's cuz you've never had Bella with you. Em, you should've seen her kick Tanya's ass!" Alice said and pumped her fist in the air.

"Boo-boo bear. You rock! Damn, we missed the highlight of this party, Rosie."

"I'm sure you'll get another chance to witness Bella kick the bitch's ass. She's relentless. Let's go dance, Emmett," Rose said and got up. "Anyone wanna join us?"

"Let's go," Alice said and pulled Jasper up.

"Duckling?"

"I don't dance. Go on. I'll be fine here," I said and made everyone go to the dance area near the bar.

I got thirsty so I decided to go up to the bar to get another diet coke. While I sat at the bar sipping on my coke a drunken slimeball approached me. "Hey pretty girl. Want some company? I'm Peter. Peter Denali. You were the one with Edward right?" He said and wrapped his arm around me. I tried to shrug his arm off, but he wouldn't budge.

"Please take your arm off of me. I mean it."

"Oh don't be such a prude. I heard from my cousin you're just using Edward for sex. You're more than welcome to use me for sex too ya know."

"Get your arm off me," I said and struggled to get it off. He grabbed my wrist really hard and glared at me. "Let go," I said and kicked him in the balls, but my legs were too short and I didn't get him very hard. It pissed him off and he punched me in my face. I went flying onto the table behind me. The glasses on the table shattered and I felt piercing pain all over my body.

When I looked up I saw Lone and Emmett launch at Peter. Edward was at my side immediately and shouted to get Carlisle's attention. It was chaos all around. Aro had Eleazar by his neck and Esme was trying to pull Aro off of Eleazar, Tanya was trying to protect Peter from Emmett and Rose was pulling Tanya by her hair, and Alice was latched onto Peter's leg and beating him with her handbag while Emmett and Lone kicked the crap out of him. Even the strangers in the VIP room were at each others' throats.

I got scared and buried my face in Edward's chest. He smelled good and I felt safe. He ran his fingers through my hair and kept whispering to me that everything was going to be all right. Then I heard Carlisle's voice telling me something was going to hurt or rather. I didn't really catch what he was saying, but I screamed when I realized that he was pulling out the glass shards out of my skin. Edward held me while he called 911. The pain was overwhelming and everything went black.

When I woke up, I saw Carlisle holding my hand. "I'm really sorry," I apologized to Carlisle. When I looked around, I realized I was in an ambulance.

"Why are you apologizing? I should be the one apologizing for not taking care of you. I am so sorry this happened to you."

"It's not your fault. I over reacted when that guy touched me. I ruined the party. I brought shame to your family."

"You did no such thing. It was Peter's fault. It was a miracle Aro kept peace with Eleazar until now anyway. I shouldn't be telling you this, but from how I see it, you did Aro a huge favor. You gave Aro the perfect opportunity to get back at Eleazar." Carlisle assured me.

"Where is everyone?"

"Well, Edward, Alice, and Jasper are following this ambulance in the limo. Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme are still at the club to resolve this issue."

"I hurt all over," I whimpered.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. We're almost at the hospital. You'll feel better in no time."

**EPOV**

I still couldn't fathom what happened at the club. It was like a bar brawl in there. Even in this limo my sister sat in a torn dress with messed up hair. Jasper had a fat lip and a black eye. I tried not to show it, but I was furious at Jasper. I asked him to take care of Bella while I was away from the table. Jasper looked really upset. I was sure he was full of guilt for what happened to Bella.

After two hours of waiting we were allowed into Bella's room. She was asleep from the pain medication they had administered to her. Dad told us that she just had to have some stitches where the cuts from the glass were deep, but no bones were broken. Dad was a mess. He told me that Chief Swan was very upset and that it took a long time for Mom to convince the Chief not to fly out here. Mom ended up promising Charlie to take Bella back to Forks the day after tomorrow instead of Bella attending E3. Mom promised that she would have Bella rest a day at the hotel and fly back to Forks the morning after.

I felt horrible for Bella. All she experienced was a lot of emotional and physical pain on this trip. Nothing good came out of this for her. I wanted to take the pain away from her so much. She suffered too much. Bella would be even more sad when she finds out that she wouldn't be allowed to attend E3.

Mom came out from Bella's room to let us know that Bella was now awake. Jasper, Alice, and I joined them. She looked so small and fragile. She had bandages on her legs and arms. The worst was the bruise on her face caused by Peter.

"I look almost like a Mummy with all these bandages," Bella chuckled trying to ease the tension in the room. She raised her hand before any of us opened our mouths. "I'm tired of hearing apologies. I'm all good. I get to leave here soon. I need some sleep so I have enough energy to play the games at E3 tomorrow," Bella said and smiled.

"Bella honey. I have to tell you something," Mom said to Bella in a sweet calming tone. "After hearing about what happened tonight, your father is prohibiting you from attending E3 and wants you home day after tomorrow."

"Nooooo," Bella yelled. "He can't do that," Bella started to cry while wincing and rubbing her cheek where Peter hit her. "I need to call my Dad. Please give me my phone."

"Bella, let's talk about this tomorrow when you are rested," Dad tried to calm her down.

"NO! Somebody please give me the damn phone," she yelled and Alice passed her phone to her. Dad and Mom glared at Alice, but she crossed her arms and glared back at them.

"Dad, why are you doing this to me? Why are you taking the one thing that kept me alive? I want to go to E3… You don't love me anymore…It's okay. I'll just go back to Phoenix. I can survive on my own…" Bella cried into the phone. Her words were so heartbreaking. She looked broken. She looked worse than she did when she was grieving over her Mom.

To anyone who didn't know what happened to Bella during the time she spent with Phil, she would look like a rebellious teenager begging the parent to allow her to do something they didn't approve. To all of us who knew what she went through understood that playing and making games was a big part of her lifeline. Bella sobbed and handed the phone to Dad. "Dad wants to talk to you."

"Charlie? Yes. …I understand. …I will. …Please trust me. I know my promise might sound empty to you right now, but I will do everything in my power to make sure she is safe. Yes. I will tell her. She's just very upset right now. I will explain to her and have her call you tomorrow. Good night Charlie," Dad said and hung up. Dad sighed and looked at Bella.

"Bella, Charlie decided to let you go to E3 on one condition. You will rest tomorrow and only attend E3 for the last two days. It's either that or I take you back to Forks the day after tomorrow." Bella looked like she was thinking really hard and nodded. Dad let out a sigh of relief and just looked so worn out. "I'm going to go and see her doctor so that he could release her into my care and take her back to the hotel," Dad said and left the room.

"It might take a good hour or so for the doctor to check on her and release her into our care. Kids, take a cab back to the hotel. Dad and I'll take Bella back in the limo," Mom said to us.

"Mom, I want to stay with Bella," Alice begged.

"Alice, please don't argue with me and do as I said." Mom looked like she really meant it so I shook my head at Alice and took her arm to drag her out of Bella's room. Jasper followed behind me quietly.

None of us spoke a word in the cab on the way back to the hotel. Jasper helped Alice with the keycard. We all went into Alice and Bella's hotel room and slumped onto the couch. No one attempted to do anything. No one even turned the TV on. We just sat silently on the couch. I'm not sure how much time passed by when we heard the door to the room open. Dad carried a sleeping Bella in his arms and took her to the bedroom with Mom following behind him. Alice immediately got up and ran into the bedroom. I took this as a sign for Jasper and me to go back to our room.

We both headed straight to the bedroom. I just sat on the bed and leaned on the headboard. When I glanced over at Jasper he was doing the same with his eyes closed. I'm not sure when I fell asleep, but when I woke up Jasper was asleep in the same position I saw him before I fell asleep, When I looked at my watch it was a little after 7 a.m. I heard nothing from the other room, but wanted to check on Bella, so I quietly snuck out of the room. When I entered the room, I saw Dad asleep on their couch. I quietly walked into their bedroom and saw Alice and Bella curled up together in Bella's bed. This was what I loved about my sister. She was a fiercely loyal and caring friend. She was obnoxious at times, but she was one you could always count on to be there for you. She knew Bella needed someone to assure her she was loved and this was her way of showing her how much she cared.

I walked out of their bedroom and quietly shook Dad awake. I knew he needed to be at the convention center and if he didn't get up he would be late. I'm sure there was a lot of damage control Volturi Games needed to do this morning. I was sure Aro would need to make some sort of statement to the press since there were reporters at the club. I was sure Volturi Games and Denali Interactive were going to splashed on the front page of all the E3 coverage.

"You should go back to your room and get ready. I'll stay." I said to Dad

"Thanks. Will you and Jasper please take care of Alice and Bella today? I have a lot of things to deal with. Take them out and show them a good time. Bella needs it," Dad said and just looked so worn out.

"Don't worry Dad. I'll make sure she's safe and has a great time today. I wanna see her smile too." Dad nodded and left the room.

I had no idea what kind of mood Bella would be in today, but I was determined to make her smile and laugh. I wanted her to be happy again.

**A/N**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I worked really hard to get you an update quick. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8 Besties

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to **JCook169** for your fantabulous beta work! Yes! I have a beta from this chapter. She's an amazing beta. She corrected my grammatical errors, punctuation, cleaned up my wordy sentences due to my lack of vocabulary, pointed out areas for me to clarify, elaborate, and so much more. I'm sure you'll all benefit from having her on board! Thanks JCook169! You Rock!

I'm dedicating Jasper's lil concert to **Scarletappy** and **Jasperbaby**. I know you two love Jasper, so I threw that lil part in for you guys!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 8 Besties**

**BPOV**

I felt something warm and soft beside me when I woke up. I forced my sleepy eyes to open and noticed Alice asleep in my bed. I tried to recall the events from last night and the last place I remembered being at was the hospital. I didn't want to move in fear of waking up Alice who was not a morning person.

My heart felt heavy thinking back to all the hurtful things I said to Dad out of anger last night. Carlisle promised Dad that I would call him this morning, so I needed to call now if I wanted to catch him before he left for work. I carefully slid off the bed and tiptoed out of the bedroom.

I grabbed my phone and took some calming breaths first. I pushed the Call button after locating Dad's cell number in my address book.

"Swan," he answered. I suddenly got nervous and choked. "Bella? What's wrong baby?" He must've recognized it was me through the caller ID.

I mustered all the courage I had and said, "I'm sorry," but it came out sounding like a whisper. Mom was always more like a friend than parent, so when Dad told me I wasn't allowed to go to E3 it brought back the horrible memories of the time I spent with Phil after Mom died. The memories scared me and angered me until I couldn't think rationally.

"I'm sorry too Bella. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you; I was just really upset when I heard that you were injured. You were taken away from me before I really had the chance to be a Dad. I'm learning to be a parent and I'm trying very hard, but I make mistakes too. I just wanted to protect you and have you back here safe with me. I can't lose you again, Bells; please understand that. I love you- I always have and always will. I need you here with me where you belong. This has always been your home and not a single day passed that I didn't think of you since you and Renee left. Please don't ever say that you'll go back to Phoenix."

Tears brimmed in my eyes. His voice cracked and sounded like he was about to cry. I felt horrible for making him feel that way. "I'm really sorry for lashing out and acting so ungrateful. You took me in with open arms when you didn't have to."

"Oh Bells, I didn't take you in. Please don't ever think that way; you're my daughter. You came back home to me where you belonged. I always wanted you to come back to me with or without Renee. I didn't care if Renee chose to stay with someone else as long as I got to spend time with you even if it was just for one day out of the year. Sometime over the years I lost hope; I tried to accept that you weren't going to return but now I finally have you back with me. I hate the circumstance that brought you here but I firmly believe that this was your Mom's way of bringing you back to me. I know you really miss your Mom, and I do too. You never got to visit your Mom's grave after the funeral since Phil never let you out of the house. I'd like to visit her grave too. I think we both need to properly grieve and need closure. How about we take a road trip?"

"Road trip? Where?" I didn't really understand the correlation between grieving and a road trip.

"ROAD TRIP? COUNT ME IN!" Alice squealed as she bounced over to the couch and plopped down beside me.

"Is that Alice?" Dad asked and chuckled.

"Yeah. She just woke up. She wants to come with us on our road trip. Where are we going?"

"Phoenix." Dad said and I gasped.

"I can't Dad. It's too hard. I never want to step foot in that house again."

"We can do it Bella; we can do it together. If Alice wants to come then you have Alice and me to support you. We'll pack up any belongings you want from the house and we'll visit Renee's grave. Once we're done with that we can put the house up for sale. I think we both need this trip to move on."

I didn't know if I was ready for this. The memories of Mom on the floor and Phil's abuse were too fresh in my mind, but Dad was right. In order for me to accept that Forks was now my home, I needed to let go of that part of my life. "Okay Dad. Let's all go on a road trip after I've returned from LA. If we're bringing things back from Phoenix maybe we can ask Jasper and Edward to come along. You could definitely use extra hands since Alice and I wouldn't be much help."

"I'll talk to Carlisle and make the necessary arrangements. We'll have lots of fun, I'm sure of it Bells."

"Yeah, it's sounding pretty good to me too. I love you Dad. I'll see you soon."

"I love you too Bells. Tell Alice, Edward, and Jasper to take good care of you. I miss you Bells; see you at home." Dad said before he hung up the phone.

"Sooooooo, can I come? Please? Pretty please!" Alice begged batting her eyelashes.

"Dad said you can come and he's going to talk to Carlisle and I'll ask Edward and Jasper if they'd be interested too."

"Oh my God, I hope Jasper can make it. Oooooh, I can hardly wait," Alice sighed looking like she was alone in her pink bubble with Jasper. I jokingly slapped her forehead to burst her bubble and laughed.

"Hey, why'd you do that? I was in a really blissful place just now," Alice growled as she jumped on top of me. As we were play-wrestling on the couch,Jasper and Edward stepped into our room.

"Myeyes! My eyes! I've gone blind!" Jasper joked which made Edward snicker. "Seriously, why are you two making out on the couch?"

"In your dreams Lone," I retorted while laughing.

"Damn it Whitlock! That's my baby sister you're talking about," Edward growled.

"Whoa! You know I was just joking," Jasper laughed.

"Tell the guys about the road trip!" Alice said before chanting the word "Road Trip" over and over while bouncing on the couch like a hopped-up spider monkey.

"Road Trip?" Edward asked looking bemused.

"Ummm, I was wondering if the two of you want to go on a road trip with Dad, Alice, and me to Phoenix."

"I'm in!" Lone said excitedly.

"Sounds fun," Edward responded while smiling.

"Cool. Dad said he'll make all the necessary arrangements"

"Do you think the Chief could really handle us without losing his mind?" Jasper chuckled.

"I could ask Dad if he'd be up for a trip. He could really use a break since he's been working non-stop."

"That's a fantastic idea; I think Dad would really appreciate Carlisle coming. I don't think my Dad alone could contain Alice," I giggled and Alice flicked my forehead.

"Owie," I said before launching myself on top of her again.

"Are we going this weekend? What are we going to do about your birthday?" Alice asked Edward. Edward glared at Alice and shook his head.

"Edward? Is it your birthday this weekend?"

"Don't worry about it, Bella. It's no big deal."

"Esme must be planning something special for you. Dad and I can manage on our own; I would hate to ruin Esme's plans."

"Actually with the recent events I don't think Mom has anything planned. She normally talks to me about it, but she hasn't mentioned anything yet, so it must've slipped her mind. We could celebrate in Phoenix; I think that sounds way more enjoyable than having a party in Forks; don't you think?" Alice asked Edward.

"I'm not a kid anymore so I don't need a party. Really- forget that it's my birthday this weekend. We'll just have a great road trip."

"You can't NOT have a party! I think I know just the place. Every time my Mom got paid for her illustrations for children's story books, we went to this chicken and waffles restaurant called Lo-Lo's to celebrate. It's a really fun place that attracts celebrities like Muhammad Ali, Charles Barkley, and the players from Phoenix Suns. The food is phenomenal and usually has a funny name. They even serve Kool-Aid in jars. Oooh**,** I want everyone to taste their red velvet cake. It's not fancy but I can't wait to take you all there. Mom couldn't afford anything fancy, but Lo-Lo's one of my favorite places to go."

"That sounds super! We have to go there and celebrate Edward's birthday!" Alice said as she jumped up and down on the couch. Lone smiled giving me a thumbs up. Edward smiled and I saw his cheek turn a little pink from being the center of the conversation.

**EPOV**

I was relieved to see Bella looking happier today. Whatever the Chief said must have cheered her up. At first I thought maybe they should go on the trip alone but then I realized that it may be a little too much for them to handle alone. It would be a tough trip for both and maybe having us around might lift their spirits if necessary. On one hand, I was sure the Chief would be eager to see the house where Bella was raised, but at the same time visiting the house where his daughter was abused by Phil might be painful to see. I wasn't really pleased when Alice brought up the subject of my birthday; I wanted this road trip to be solely about Bella and her Dad but if taking me to her favorite restaurant made her happy, I wasn't going to complain.

"So what are we doing today?" Alice asked pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Well I was thinking it might be fun to go to the LA flea market at Dodger Stadium. I read that it's not your usual flea market. They have a live concert, food trucks and arts and craft booths."

"Oh, I wanna go!" Bella said with twinkling eyes.

"Well then, let's get ready. The general admission starts at 10 a.m. We should aim to get there by eleven-ish so we could grab some brunch there. Sound good everyone?"

"Good!" They all said in unison and laughed.

I called Alec and Felix to inform them of our plans and requested they dress casually. I just wanted to make sure they blended with the crowd so we all wouldn't have to feel self conscious having suits following us around. I just wanted us all to have fun.

Shocked was an understatement when Bella saw how large the flea market was. Since we were all hungry we headed to the food trucks before we ventured to the booths. Alice said she was cool with anything we picked, so she went and sat under the umbrellas to save our seats.

Bella kept jumping up and down to look at the foods being cooked in the trucks since she wasn't really tall enough to see. I squatted and pointed to my shoulders so that she could sit on them and have a better view. She blushed and looked like she was carefully considering the option and shyly climbed on my shoulders. I held her legs to my chest tightly and pulled myself up. She wasn't heavy at all so keeping her on my shoulders was a breeze. Jasper looked a little worried so he stood beside me with his hand on her back so that she wouldn't fall backwards. As if I would do anything to hurt her, but Bella was clumsy so to avoid her getting hurt I didn't complain having Jasper behind us. Bella rested her hands on my head to keep her balance and every once in a while she ran her fingers through my hair which felt so damn good.

Bella seemed to enjoy the hilarious names and logos of some of the trucks. There was The Munchie Machine grilled sandwich truck, India Jones curry truck, Gourmet Genie with a genie on the logo, Komodo dangerously good food truck, and many more unique trucks. Jasper went to the BBQ truck to grab us some southern style smoked meats while Bella wanted the ice cream sandwiches, frozen lemonade, and shaved ice. I told her we could come back to the trucks for desserts so that it wouldn't melt but she insisted that's what she wanted now. I wasn't going to argue; if she wanted dessert first then that's what she was going to get. I had a feeling this was what Bella and her Mom usually did**;** feasting on sweets instead of eating something substantial.

I always imagined Bella and her Mom like Rory and Lorelai from the Gilmore Girls; especially when they would have movie nights munching on every candy bar known to man. Even Chief Swan fit the image of Luke Danes. Alice and Mom always watched The Gilmore Girls when I was still living at home, which was why I was able to make this analogy. Emmett and I would never admit to anyone that we also enjoyed watching the show. It was our secret although Jasper sometimes caught us watching the show when he'd appear unannounced at our house. We'd go up to our rooms and hang out with him, but secretly felt bummed we couldn't finish watching that episode.

Jasper had already returned to the table with the food by the time we got back. Alice's eyes twinkled when she saw the ice cream sandwiches and the frozen drinks. The girls happily ate their cold treats while Jasper and I dug into the ribs and burgers. Occasionally Bella would ask for a bite off my burger while she ate her ice cream sandwiches.

"Ewww! Please don't mix ice cream with hamburger meat," Alice said to Bella while grimacing.

"Try it; it's really good. It's kind of like eating creamy sweet stroganoff," Bella explained smiling.

"Yuk. Maybe in another life," Alice retorted before feigning a shiver.

Once we finished eating we started to check out the vendor's booths. One of the booths was run by a hippie looking couple who were selling a lot of 70's novelties. Jasper couldn't keep his hands off one of their old guitars. The lady at the booth asked him if he played which he responded that he did a little. She asked him to play and sing something for her. People around the booth started gathering, especially the ladies, when he started to play and sing Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion." The growing crowd started dancing and swaying to the music.

Women always threw themselves at Jasper, but he would always brush them off as if he wasn't interested. I sometimes questioned if he batted for the other team until he started talking about this chick he met online. Even when he came over to hang out with Emmett and I, he'd turn on the PC and chat with her every opportunity he had. Emmett used to tease him that he had the hots for the girl, but Jasper kept denying, saying that **s**he was like a little sister. Now that I finally saw how Jasper looked at Bella, I could see that he was protective of her like a sister but at the same time I was still suspicious that maybe Jasper secretly had feelings for Bella. If that was the case, then I had a feeling that Alice's heart was going to be crushed. Ever since we came to LA I noticed that Alice took every opportunity to sit beside Jasper and always looked at him with goo-goo eyes. Jasper was a good guy so I wasn't worried about him intentionally hurting Alice. If he wasn't interested he would let Alice down gently. In all honesty, I didn't really want Alice and Jasper to hook up. If things didn't go well I didn't want their relationship to get awkward. I hoped they would remain friends since Jasper was my buddy and it would be hard to avoid them running into each other.

Bella leaned her back to me and swayed to the music. I liked that she had become relaxed around me. She felt so soft and huggable**;** I couldn't resist my desire to press her closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and put my chin on her head. She molded perfectly into my body.

She woke a feeling inside of me that I couldn't quite place my finger on. I don't think I've ever felt anything like it for anyone before. It was nothing like how I felt for Alice and even further from how I felt about the girls I dated.

I felt anxious when Bella wasn't around me. I was lost in her pure and innocent chocolate brown eyes and felt tingling in my heart when I saw her smile and her eyes twinkle. It took everything I had to resist touching her cheek when she blushed. My feelings for her felt wonderful but for some reason I felt like it was something I had to hide and protect from anyone else.

"I think Alice is on a sugar high," Bella giggled pointing at Alice who was twirled around and around to the music with her eyes closed.

"Yeah but I think some of the other people dancing in the crowd is high on something else," I responded making Bella laugh.

People asked for an encore so Jasper sang Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight." We thanked the hippie lady and waved to the surrounding crowd that was still applauding Jasper.

"That was fun! You were awesome, Jasper," Alice gushed before hugging Jasper. Jasper smiled and petted her head fondly. Bella and I high fived him before heading to the next unique booth.

Upon arriving to the neighboring booth we first noticed they had two mannequins posed in some of the pink outfits they were selling. Alice smiled excitedly as if a light bulb went off in her head. She handed me her camera and told me to take a picture of Bella and her together. Alice grabbed a black top hat, sunglasses, pink feather boa scarf and whispered something into Bella's ears. Bella chuckled and draped on a white shirt, black jacket, and a silk scarf around her neck.

_Pink it's the color of passion _

_Cuz today it just goes with the fashion, AHHHHHHH_

_Pink it was love at first sight_

_Yeah Pink when I turn out the light_

_And Pink gets me high as a kite_

_And I think everything is going to be alright, no matter what we do tonight_

…

Alice puckered her lips, stretched her mouth, and did a horrible impersonation of Steven Tyler while she sang "Pink." Bella mimicked Joe Perry and hopped around Alice like she was playing an air guitar.

As the girls hammed it up, Jasper clutched his stomach and almost fell to the floor laughing. I could barely hold my laughter in until I took the picture. I was really happy that the girls were having such a good time together. Alice finally found a friend who accepted her for who she was. It wasn't like Alice didn't have any friends but she never had one she'd call a bestie and Bella was slowly filling that position.

After we checked out the concert stage we were exhausted from walking around in the heat, so we headed back to the hotel. We all needed to get cleaned up and get ready for the Volturi Games party.

The party was being held at a brewery. Emmett and the marketing team liked to keep the party casual and always hired a sensational band to perform instead of having the party at nightclubs like where the Denali Interactive party was held.

Alice commandeered the bathroom so Bella came over to shower in ours. It wasn't going to take us long to shower and get ready so we settled on the couch and watched T.V. After a bit, we heard a knock on the door so Jasper went to answer it.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Rosalie smiled and came into our room with Alec behind her. "I knocked on Alice and Bella's door but no one answered. Alec says they're supposed to be in the room so I thought I'd check with you guys."

"Oh, Alice is showering in their room and Bella's showering in ours," I said and Alec looked relieved and went to stand outside our door. "What do you need them for?"

"Two of the girls we hired to help with passing out game prizes during the party can't make it so I need to ask Alice and Bella to stand in. I brought their costumes."

"Costumes?" Jasper's eyes bulged out.

"Don't worry**,** they aren't too sleazy. Give me some credit, I'm not Emmett. They're just a black and white referee shirt and black shorts," Rose said and showed us the shirt and shorts. I narrowed my eyes at Rose when I noticed how teeny tiny the shorts were.

"Oh come on, guys, they both have gorgeous legs. It's a waste not to showcase them to the world."

"I don't think Dad's going to be pleased to see Alice and Bella wearing those poor excuse for shorts."

"You two are like old maids; the costume was already approved by Carlisle and Esme who didn't mind at all," Rosalie smirked. "If you guys are so concerned then make sure you stand around them when they're on stage so you can pull the men off that grab them," Rose replied before snickering when Jasper and I gasped in horror imagining men grabbing Bella and Alice off the stage. "Well I need to go and shower so I'm just gonna hand this costume to Bella and then go to Alice to give hers," Rose said and disappeared into the bathroom after Bella opened the door. I saw a glimpse of a blushing Bella with a bath towel wrapped around her when she opened the door. Jasper whacked me in the back of my head and glared while I continued to gaze at the now closed bathroom door.

Rose didn't emerge from the bathroom for almost half an hour. When she finally exited, Bella followed behind her dressed in the referee's shirt and the teeny tiny black shorts. My eyes bulged out when I noticed that the tight shirt didn't reach the top of her shorts exposing her belly button. She was wearing some makeup and her hair was curled and put up into a pony tail with a large red ribbon. Rose waved to us and went into Alice and Bella's room. Bella plopped down on the couch beside me and fanned herself with the TV guide that was on the table.

I tried not to ogle Bella so I trained my eyes on the T.V. She looked too sexy for her own good which caused not so innocent thoughts to run through my head which made me feel guilty. I sighed knowing this was going to be a long night which caused Bella to tilt her head and look worried. I gave her my best smile and said I was just tired.

"I'm kinda hungry. Are they serving food at the party?" Bella asked.

"Duckling, if you didn't eat just those sweets at the flea market, you wouldn't be hungry right now," Jasper said.

"Sorry, Dad!" Bella scowled causing me to chuckle.

"She should eat something. There were some Cornish pasties downstairs; I can just go down to the café and grab some for you." I knew Dad wouldn't be happy if I left her hungry.

"Oh, I'll come with," Bella said excitedly.

"Not gonna happen, Duckling. You can't step out wearing that," Jasper scowled and pointed at her costume.

"Oh, maybe the shirt is a little short but I look okay, right?" Bella asked worriedly. Jasper cleared his throat nervously.

"I think you look great, but some of the older patrons at the hotel may not take too kindly to your costume so it's probably best if I just run down alone." I said to Bella and stood up.

"Oh kind of like when Vivian enters the hotel in Pretty Woman and Edward hands his coat over to her?" Bella giggled. I smiled and nodded.

I really wanted to clear my mind before it got filled with inappropriate images of Bella and how quickly I could rip that shirt off her luscious body. I shook my head and rushed out of the room.

**A/N**

How was it? I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter imagining Ashley Greene impersonating Steven Tyler and Jackson Rathbone singing those songs.

I'm sure I'll be writing more music performances in the upcoming chapters so if you want a special song sung by my characters please leave a review and let me know, I'll try to incorporate your request into the story.

If you want to check Aerosmith's "Pink" and Steven's pink feather boa scarf out, I've placed a Youtube link of the performance on my profile under Cardinal Sins Chapter 8. The clip I found on Youtube is one from a concert in Holland. I saw Steven wear the scarf in their concert in Tokyo too so I'm hoping he also wore it in other countries as well.

Thanks for reading my story and please leave a review! I would really appreciate them as the story is still in its early stage and hasn't been accessed as much as Amor Vincit Omnia did so your review would really help! Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9 Geek Talk

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

**I only own the plot of this story.**

Special thanks to** JCook169** for her awesome beta work and for teaching me new words to add to my vocabulary. I'm having so much fun having you on board!

There's a special announcement to all reviewers in the Author's note at the end of the chapter so please check it out. Don't Miss it!

**Chapter 9 Geek talk**

**BPOV**

I was surprised that Edward rushed out of the room like his tail was on fire. Jasper and I decided to play some games on the PlayStation while we waited for Edward and Alice. I was a little embarrassed at first when Rosalie handed me this costume, but after hearing Rosalie's compliments of how good I looked I felt better. I've never worn something this sexy before but part of me always wanted to try it at least once. For some reason Lone kept his eyes off me and stared at the T.V. screen which made me worry- did I look that horrible that he couldn't even look at me?

Edward returned quickly with the pasties and coffees. I grabbed one and wolfed it down not realizing how hungry I had been. While I snacked on the pasties, Alice entered the room and plopped onto the recliner. Alice had the shirt tied at her waist because she thought the shirt was too long on her and didn't look right. Edward shook his head and sighed.

Esme called to inform us that they were running a little late so we should head down to the party with Rosalie and Emmett and they would meet us there. A half an hour past the meeting time, Emmett finally called us to be down at the lobby in ten minutes. Edward went to inform Felix and Alec who joined the rest of the group in the lobby. Everyone quickly climbed into the limo and headed down to the brewery.

Carlisle and Esme arrived before us and Carlisle instructed Alice and me to stay at the Cullen table in the VIP area at all times until Rosalie came to get us to assist her with the games. Alice pouted but I didn't care; the place was too crowded and the VIP area wasn't as noisy so I felt less nervous. Some of the games on the floor looked interesting but I didn't want to deal with the drunken guys playing them, so I just lounged on one of the sofas and asked the waitress for a Diet Coke.

"I'm bored," Alice whined before sighing. It was just the two of us at the table as Edward and Jasper went down to the floor to mingle with Edward's co-workers.

"We could people watch from the balcony," I suggested before dragging Alice to the balcony. I sent a questioning glance over to Esme to see if it was all right and she nodded and smiled.

Felix stood near us and I saw Alec standing by the entrance of the VIP lounge. "Let's play Guess Who's Gay game," Alice said and I swear I heard Felix chuckle.

"What? That's so rude. Why would we want to play such an un-PC game?"

"Oh, Bella, we need to train our eyes to be able to weed out the gay ones from the straight ones. What happens if you crush on a hottie in college and find out he bats for the other team?" Alice said it like she meant it- she wasn't kidding.

"But how would we know?"

"We'll both choose five guys each and observe them**.** If they end up kissing another dude or hold some guy's hand then you know."

I didn't like competitions I knew I would lose but apparently Alice really wanted to play this game so I assented. While I prowled around the balcony to my potential gay contestants, Felix came behind me and whispered into my ears, pointing at several potential queens. I smiled, thanking Felix and made sure Alice didn't notice that he helped me. I hoped Felix's gaydar was operational since the guys he chose didn't dress any different than Edward or Lone. Alice and I set a time limit of half an hour and with only15 minutes left a guy approached one of Alice's picks and took his hand leading him towards the bar.

"Yeah! One up for me!" Alice bounced up and down clapping her hands.

A minute later another guy approached one of Felix' selections and draped his arms around the guy and kissed him soundly.

"Yeah! We're tied now," I chanted while pumping my fist in the air. I discreetly glanced towards Felix and winked. He gave me covert thumbs up in return. Alice huffed and pouted; she didn't want to lose.

There was only five minutes remaining of our competition causing Alice to bounce around anxiously. Lone returned narrowing his eyes at us as if he wondered why the hell we looked so anxious. I explained to Lone our contest and he snorted. He joined us as we tracked the remaining 8 guys and with five minutes remaining, a guy approached another of Felix' picks and caressed his back up and down very intimately. He twirled the guy's hair and leaned into him.

"That's two for me!" I crowed and fist pumped. Alice pouted but nodded in acknowledgement.

" How the hell did you guess he was gay? " Lone asked surprised.

"I have one heck of a gaydar. Not everyone looks and acts like Stanford and Charlotte's wedding planner in Sex and the City ya know," I replied to them giggling knowing only Felix and I knew the truth. I glanced at my watch and realized the half hour was now up.

"Time's up. I WIN!" I hummed the Rocky theme while circling around with my fists in the air. While I circled around them I even saw another guy that Felix picked standing arm in arm with another man sipping beer against the wall.

Winning such an important competition made me thirsty so I returned to the table to have another glass of Diet Coke. Alice wanted to dance so she dragged Lone to the makeshift dance area. I quickly bored so I returned to the balcony overlooking the first floor. When I glanced down I noticed Edward dancing with the wavy red haired girl I remembered seeing at the Volturi Games office. I think she wasa part of the legal team.

I'm not sure why but I felt a little angry watching the girl dance with Edward. She was pretty with a nice body and she looked good with him. Then the girl glanced up and our eyes met. She smirked at me hugging Edward tighter. I saw RED and childishly stomped back to the table. I had no right to feel this way since Edward was an adult and wouldn't be interested in a kid like me. Thankfully Rosalie arrived to save me from my sulking. It was time for Alice and me to assist Rosalie with handing out prizes for the people who played the 3D basketball game.

A crowd started to gather around as soon as Emmett announced it was show time. Alice and I ascended the stage and held the T-shirts and hats prizes. I observed the snarky red head keeping her claws on Edward but noticed that Edward looked disdainful and kept brushing her arms off him. That's right, bitch,I thought to myself, take your hands off him. I had a job to do so I couldn't keep watching them. Once I started passing out the prizes some of the guys started handing me their business cards and phone numbers, asking me to call or email them. Soon one of the guys lost his balance and knocked me against the wall. He apologized to me but before I could respond, he was pulled away and Edward hauled me off the stage. Edward kept his arms wrapped securely around me and I then noticed that he was really drunk and his breath reeked of beer.

"Edward, you can let go now, I ordered him, I'm safe from the big bad wolf." Edward shook his head and hoisted me onto one of the bar stools facing the stage. He stood close behind me with his arms still wrapped possessively around me. I didn't like the beer stench but it felt good to be in his arms so I didn't complain. I felt guilty I was no longer assisting Rosalie but Alice appeared to be having the time of her life on stage, so I decided to not let the guilt bother me.

"What's this?" Edward questioned pointing to the business cards and little notes of phone numbers the guys gave me.

"The guys that came up on stage handed me those and asked me to call or write them." Edward narrowed his eyes and pulled them from my pocket. I wasn't sure what his plans for them were but when he started passing them out to random girls, I couldn't hold my laugh in. The girls thought they were getting Edward's phone number which meant they had to have a few screws loose or be very drunk if they thought Edward was doling out his phone number with me securely wrapped his arms.

While I was busy watching Edward hand out the phone numbers I realized that the basketball game was done. When I looked at the big screen where the 3D basketball used to be there was now a large heart on the screen with Sixpence None The Richer's, "Kiss Me" playing. The Kiss-Cam started to pan the crowd looking for couples. The couples that were captured onscreen all looked happy before kissing. I froze the next moment when I saw myself and Edward on the screen. I was shocked further when Edward's hand gently lifted my chin up before he slowly leaned in to kiss me. I felt his full, soft lips on me and when I looked into his eyes I saw they were closed so I immediately closed mine. I kept waiting for him to remove his lips but he lingered againstmy lips until I heard a throat clear.

"That's enough love birds. Edward, I need help getting the partygoers out of here andMom and Dad are ready to go as well so step away from Bella," boomed Emmett. I opened one of my eyes and saw Rosalie grinning at me but Edward's hand was still on my cheek and his lips flush to mine. Emmett pulled Edward off and dragged him away. As I heard Edward growl at Emmett, Rosalie laughed and draped her arm around my shoulder.

"Let's just hope Carlisle didn't see your lip-lock," Rosalie quipped while laughing.

"Oh my god, Oh my god. You two looked soooo cute together," Alice ran up to us squealing.

"Alice shut up. Edward will get in trouble if your Dad finds out. Besides, Edward was drunk; he probably won't remember anything tomorrow anyway."

"Did you want Edward to remember?" Rosalie teased with a wink.

I knew I was blushing all kinds of red. "No."

"Oh Bella, I'm like your all-knowing sister. You don't have to hide your feelings; you still have a few months till you turn eighteen so keep the feelings to yourself for a bit longer. Don't approach Edward yet; he will turn you down since he would never date a minor. I'm pretty sure Edward is attracted to you though. In all the years I've known him, I've never seen him kiss someone so lovingly." Rosalie confessed and patted my back.

"I'm not in love with Edward and he's not attracted to me. I'm just a kid to him."

"I have a feeling Edward is slowly realizing that he doesn't see you as a kid anymore. I saw the way he gazed at you when you exited the bathroom with your costume on. I am 100% sure I saw lust in Edward's eyes."

"Stop teasing me," I pouted at Rosalie.

"Trust me. I pick up on these things. Once you are legal, I bet he'll ask you out on a date."

"Lucky you. I have no idea if Jasper is even remotely interested in me. Do you think he is?" Alice asked Rose.

"I'm sorry, Alice, I don't know Jasper well enough to know. I'll try to keep a closer watch on him from now on for ya. Oh, Carlisle and Esme are waiting by the door; you two should go since it's getting late," Rose said and waved us goodbye. As soon as Alice and I started towards the door we were flanked by Alec and Felix.

I went to bed straight after we returned to our room. I could tell Alice wanted to talk but I just wanted to close my eyes and reflect back on today's amazing events. It was a long day but I had a great time. Everything was perfect and Edward Cullen actually kissed me! My phone buzzed as I felt myself drifting off to sleep. As I grabbed my phone and checked the message, I heard Alice giggle. There was amessage from Alice with a video attached. When I started the video, I saw Edward and me kissing on the screen. To experience the kiss and to actually see it on screen were two totally different things. I felt my whole body turn crimson which made me glad that it was pretty dark in the room except for the nightstand on Alice's side of the bed.

On the video my face and chest was red like it was on fire. Halfway through the kiss when my eyes were closed, I noticed Edward's eyes open and gaze at me. His eyes were so sweet and gentle and he looked happy. I smiled inwardly and drifted off to sleep. That was the first night I dreamt of Edward Cullen.

**EPOV**

I had several meetings with some clients in the morning so I didn't get a chance to see Bella for breakfast. After all the meetings I headed off to the Volturi booth to find Bella only to find Rose and Alice passing out flyers by the entrance of the booth.

"Hey, where's Bella and Jasper?" I asked waving as I approached them.

"They're scoping out the other publishers' games. She said she'll give me a call if she finds a game she wants the Ugly Duckling production team to see," Rose said smiling.

"How come you didn't tag along with 'em?" I asked Alice worriedly since she wasn't where Jasper was seeing as she took almost every opportunity to be with him lately.

"I couldn't keep up. They were all**-**business talking technical mumbo jumbo. So I decided to just hang out with Rose until they were done since she speaks my language," Alice said chuckling.

"Oh speak of the devil. Bella just texted that she's on her way back here," Rose said glancing at her phone.

As I waited around for them Emmett came out of the meeting room with some buyers. "How's my goddess doing today?" Em asked slapping Rose's ass. Rose giggled and gave Em a kiss. "Where's Boo-Boo Bear? We're supposed to go check out the Mortal Kombat trailer together at the Warner Bros. Interactive booth. I didn't peg her for a Mortal Kombat fan. You should've seen her when I told her that Mortal Kombat was back with an M rating and that the game is darker and bloodier. I'm not talking about a little nosebleed; it's a full**-**on bloodbath. They even have a co-op arcade mode. I can hardly wait for the release date," Emmett explained looking like a little kid in a candy store.

"Oh! There they are!" Alice said pointing to Bella and Jasper walking towards our booth.

"Hey, Bella. Having fun?" I asked Bella smiling.

"Oh my gosh, Edward. The Ugly Duckling team needs to check out Bethesda's booth. Their game, Rage, is phenomenal. It's not just a first person shooter; they've taken FPS to the next level. It has elements of racing and combat in it and don't get me started on the graphics. The environment is all handcrafted; it's not the typical environment that keeps repeating the same images over and over. God, the liquid effects are so realistic and they incorporated a damage system that shows the trauma the characters are experiencing. We have so much work to do on Ugly Duckling if we want to compete with Rage," Bella explained excitedly with a hint of fear in her eyes. The game must've been really brilliant if it caused Bella to worry about Ugly Duckling.

"I'll inform the team and make sure they check it out before the show is over but now can we please go check out Mortal Kombat?" Emmett asked Bella excitedly.

"Sure. I wish they had a playable demo available. I so would've whooped your ass!" Bella giggled. "Oh and Alice, I saw a Wii version of Kirby we need to check out. There's no playable demo but we can see game play on the screen at the Nintendo booth."

"On Wii? Not a handheld? Oh my gosh,we so have to check it out. Hurry up, let's go!" Alice chirped dragging Bella out of the booth with Em, Jasper and me following behind them.

Alice squealed when she saw Kirby's Epic Yarn game play demo on the screen. Kirby hadn't made his appearance on a home console platform since Kirby 64. He was now back made out of yarn in an environment made out of cloth. Bella and Alice oohed and ahhed watching the demo as Kirby morphed into varying shapes like a parachute and car instead of floating like the previous versions. Most of his original abilities were all gone; even his trademark inhaling and instead he now had a string of yarn to use as a whip. Bella and Alice laughed and giggled while pointing at Kirby rolling an enemy into a ball of yarn, hanging from objects, and unzipping an area to reveal a new play area.

I had fun watching Alice and Bella being captivated by the game. I could tell Bella was watching the game not only for entertainment but she was also acquiring ideas for Ugly Duckling. The game was adorable, funny, visually attractive, and even had a 2 person co-op play. I was excited to find out how Bella was going to incorporate the ideas she picked up at E3 into Ugly Duckling. Her game is unbelievably unique. Not only is it a fantastic FPS but it had comical elements due to the game having Ugly Duckling as the main character. I was sure Bella had new ideas popping in her head while she watched Kirby in action.

After we checked out Mortal Kombat we returned to the booth because Mom called informing us that she was now at the booth ready to take the girls out to Venice beach and the boardwalk. Bella pouted saying she wanted to stay at the show, but Alice argued that she still had tomorrow to play the games. Bella sighed and nodded in defeat and waved with painful reluctance in her eyes as she left the booth.

After the girls left, Emmett went back to work leaving Jasper and I with a few hours to kill until it was time for us to help out with the cleanup so we decided to check out some games and go grab something to eat at the Galaxy Court.

After spending an hour playing games and spotting Ryan Phillippe, Zachary Levi, and Steven Seagal amongst attendees, we headed to the Galaxy Court. We found an empty table and sat down with our food and drinks exhausted from the heat and just being in such a huge crowd of people. "Hey, Edward," I heard familiar voices calling out to me. When I looked up I saw Irina and Kate approaching our table.

"Hey girls. I'm surprised to see you two. I thought you all left since Denali Interactive pulled out of E3."

"It wasn't my idea. I thought it was silly to pull out but Dad insisted due to the incident at the nightclub. The booth is closed off but a lot of us stayed. There were some meetings we couldn't cancel as they were with clients who travelled to the U.S. from other countries. Where are Bella and Alice?" Irina asked.

"They left for the day with Mom."

"Sightseeing? Shopping? I can imagine Alice going crazy at Beverly Center." Kate chuckled.

"A little of everything I think. Mom wants the girls to have fun." I replied not wanting to divulge any more information than necessary. I wasn't fond of the Denali girls; Kate was cool but I really didn't like Irina. She wasn't very friendly and always picked on Alice.

"Is Bella staying for a while in the Seattle office to work on her project or is she going straight home to Forks?" Irina asked earning a death glare and a kick under the table from Kate.

"Why are you so curious about her?" Jasper asked glaring at Irina.

"Volturi Games is our major competitor and Bella Swan's project is something we can't be relaxed about." Jasper narrowed his eyes at Irina looking like he wasn't satisfied with Irina's explanation.

"What project are you talking about?" Jasper asked Irina probably wanting to find out what she knows about Bella.

"Oh for crying out loud, of course we know. Once we connected Phil Dwyer to Bella Swan we were able to connect all the dots."

"WASSSUUUP kids," Emmett boomed while walking to our table breaking the tension in the air.

"Hi, Em. You're looking good as usual," Kate smiled and hugged Emmett.

"So what are you two fine ladies doing with these geeks? You need a real man like me to keep you gals satisfied," Emmett said waggling his brows.

"You're so silly. We were just catching up," Irina said.

"Hey, I heard from Dad that you guys are tagging along with the Chief and Bella to Phoenix this weekend," Emmett said earning a death glare from Jasper and me.

"How exciting! I hope you guys have a great time," Kate said smiling.

"I dunno. Hauling boxes doesn't sound like much fun," Emmett said and Jasper grabbed Em' arm narrowing his eyes at him. "Ow! Cut it out Jasper. It's no big deal; these girls are like family. We grew up spending summers together in the Hamptons."

"They aren't family to Bella or me; remember, Bella got injured because of their cousin. What goes on in Bella's life is private," Jasper shouted at Emmett. I wasn't too surprised at how Jasper reacted as when it came to anything about Bella he was fiercely protective.

"I think that's our cue to leave. I'm sorry if we upset you, Jasper. It was nice catching up with you all. Good luck with the show," Kate said dragging Irina away from our table.

"Hey, what was that all about?" Em asked glaring at Jasper.

"You weren't here when they revealed that they know about the relationship between Phil Dwyer, Bella, and the Ugly Duckling project," I explained to Emmett.

"Oh they know? Well I guess I'm not surprised. Some of the Denali Interactive people were at the press conference. A quick background check on Phil would connect Bella to him."

"How would they know Bella is behind Ugly Duckling though?" Jasper asked his voice still tense and louder than usual.

"Maybe they didn't know and your reaction confirmed their theory that Bella is the one behind Ugly Duckling?" Em said sounding irritated at Jasper causing Jasper to gasp at the mistake he possibly made.

"Fuck!" Jasper yelled and covered his face.

"Hey, I didn't mean to blame it on you. They would've found out if they didn't know already," Em said patting Jasper's back. "We just don't want the media hounding Bella but we can trust the Denalis. Eleazar is a good man; he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the already fragile relationship between Volturi Games and Denali Interactive. I'd better get back to the booth before Rose is pissed off at me for taking such a long break. Oh, a bunch of us are going out for a few drinks later. Wanna join us?"

"Sounds great," I said but Jasper declined. He looked like he was still upset.

"I'm going to go find Carlisle and explain to him what happened," Jasper said and stood up.

"Hey, don't look so guilty; it's not your fault. I didn't mean to be snippy at you. I'll talk to Dad and let him know what happened since it's my fault for opening my big mouth," Emmett said assuring Jasper. "Let's head back to the booth and start cleaning up and prepare for the last day of the show," Emmett said leading us back to the booth as we followed behind him.

**A/N**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Have any of you played Guess-Who's-Gay Game? Do you have a good gaydar?

I know I don't. I have experience of crushing on a guy I met my freshmen year in college and to find out later he was gay. I suck at Guess-Who's-Gay-Game.

Please let me know what you thought of the chapter!

As **special thanks** to all you lovely reviewers, JCook169 and I prepared a **special Outtake **from this chapter to send to all the people who review this chapter. I won't post it so if you're interested in reading the Outtake, **please review** and I'll send it in the review reply.

I'm sorry but due to the time difference between Japan and other countries it will probably be a day after you leave a review when you receive the review reply with the Outtake..

Thank you for reading my story!


	10. Chapter 10 Memories

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Thank you JCook169 for your awesome beta work and for helping me learn to write better. I'm having so much fun!

JCook169 and I prepared another special Outtake to send out to all reviewers as a thank you for reading and reviewing my story. If you want to know a little something about Edward's childhood and how Renee and Charlie met, be sure to leave a review so you can find out in the Outtake I send in my review reply.

**Chapter 10 Memories**

**BPOV**

I had a wonderful time in LA and wished that E3 wasn't just a three day event. There were too many games to look at in those three short days and in my case I was only able to attend two days. Dad welcomed me home hugging me so tight I thought I was going to suffocate. He was teary and just kept smiling while he nodded to himself. It felt like I was in an unknown territory; Mom and I were always together so I had no experience with having someone miss me.

"I love you Dad," I said before kissing him on his cheek hoping that was what was expected. I really meant it as much as someone can love someone in the short time I've spent with him since our reunion in Seattle.

Dad thanked Carlisle who waved before getting back in the limo where Edward, Alec, and Felix were waiting to depart to the Cullen's residence. Dad led me back into the house sniffling.

"I had a great time Dad. Umm I didn't find a good souvenir but I grabbed some T-shirts they were passing out at the show. One is a Mortal Kombat and the other a Mafia II T-shirt. I don't know if you'll like them but maybe you can wear it under your fishing vest. Oh I also found this shirt for you in Venice beach," I mumbled wondering if he would like it and showed him the T-shirt that had a graphic of a cop on it that said "I'm going to kick your ass and get away with it." "I got me one too," I added, lifting up the T-shirt that said "Whatcha gonna do when my Daddy comes for you," with a graphic of a cop in a police car.

"I love them Bells. All of them. Thanks," Dad smiled chuckling.

"Ummm, good. Errr I'm just gonna go upstairs and unpack. Okay?" I smiled heading towards the stairs.

I pulled out all the pictures Esme, Alice, and Rosalie gave me that were taken of me during the trip. I quickly sorted out the ones that were parent-appropriate and ones I needed to hide from him. I was sure Dad wouldn't want to see pictures of me from the nightclub and the brewery. I hid those pictures under the loose floorboard in my room that was discovered when Alice's stilettos got stuck. Once I put the pictures away I laydown on my bed and pulled out my phone to watch the video Alice sent of Edward and me kissing. He never mentioned it, so I wondered if he didn't remember.

"Bells when you're done unpacking we should go grocery shopping. I ate at the diner while you were gone so the fridge is empty," Dad shouted from downstairs.

"Okay Dad. I'll be down in a minute," I shouted back while forcing myself to get off the bed.

Dad was already at the door waiting for me when I got down. "We need to stop at Newton's Outfitters. Mike's dad, Jeff, gathered some empty boxes for me to take to Phoenix to pack your belongings. I want to stop there before we go to Thriftway so that I can see how many boxes there are and determine whether we need to get some more at Thriftway."

"Thanks, Dad. I don't know if we need that many boxes, there's really not much I want to bring back," I said sighing. The only thing I could think of that I wanted to bring back to Forks were things Mom and I collected at the flea markets and garage sales, Mom's illustrations, books, photo albums and videos. I didn't care about the rest of the things. Mom saved all my tests, drawings, and schoolwork in the basement but I doubted Dad would want those.

"Well let's just wait and see. Maybe there are things I'd want to keep just because it belonged to you and your Mom. Let's get going Bells; I don't want to keep Jeff waiting," Dad said opening the door.

When we got to Newton's Outfitters, Mr. Newton was standing outside the store and Mike was hauling the boxes from out back. There were a lot of boxes and I was sure there might be too many. Dad look satisfied with the quantity and thanked Mr. Newton for them. Through their conversation, I learned that Dad was borrowing their delivery van to drive to Phoenix. I smiled and waved at Mike before getting back into Dad's cruiser to head to Thriftway. I'd be seeing him during summer school so I needed to act friendly and I made a mental note to remind Dad to get them a thank you gift. After grabbing some necessities to last until we left for Phoenix we headed towards the diner to grab some dinner since I was too exhausted to attempt to make dinner for us.

Cora smiled and seated us at Dad's regular table. Dad ordered steak and a cherry pie, and I ordered a Garden burger. As soon as we finished eating we rushed back home since I was starting to nod off while stealing some of Dad's cherry pie.

Days passed by quickly and before I knew it, it was already the morning we were leaving for Phoenix. Dad and I got into the Newton's van and headed towards the Cullen's. Lone and Edward were hanging out by Lone's truck and Carlisle was standing by his car but there was no sign of Alice. I got out of the van and walked towards Carlisle. "Smooth ride," I said and shaded my eyes to peek into their Mercedes SUV. I didn't know Mercedes even made SUVs but then again I didn't know much about cars anyway.

"Do you like it? It seats seven adults so it should come handy when we all go out to eat in Phoenix," Carlisle explained proudly gazing at his car.

"It's such a nice car**,** I'd live in it. It's so nice compared to the beat-up Fiesta mom and I lived in for a little while.

"D...Did you just say you lived in a car with your Mom?" Carlisle stuttered warily.

"It's a long story whichI'm sure I'll end up sharing once you all see my house in Phoenix," I answered as I strolled towards Edward and Lone.

"Where's Alice? My Dad is growing impatient." I asked pointing to Dad who was standing outside the van kicking the gravel around him.

"Oops, I'd better go and drag Alice out of the house before the Chief pulls out his gun," Edward laughed running into the house.

Esme came out holding two large picnic baskets and headed towards Lone and me. "Here's one for you and Charlie, and here's one for you and Edward," Esme explained handing us the picnic baskets.

"Don't Alice and Carlisle get one?"

"Don't worry, Bella. Carlisle already brought out his and loaded into the car," Esme chuckled.

"I'm not done getting dressed! Let go! Let go of me before I kick your ass!" Alice shrieked while Edward dragged her and her suitcase along. Alice glared at all of us laughing at her and straightened her clothes. "You'll regret this," Alice threatened pointing at Edward before stomping off to Carlisle's car. I had no idea what more she needed to do as she was fully dressed and her hair and makeup was done which was more than I could say about myself. All I did was take a shower and pull my hair into a ponytail.

I sat in the van while the guys discussed where to take the first break on the road and as soon as that was decided, Dad came back into the van and we all headed out of the Cullen's driveway.

It was past midnight when we pulled into the motel near Los Angeles as we took a break in Portland, Medford, and Sacramento along the way. It felt weird to think that I was just here only a couple days ago and that Dad was here with me this time. We planned to leave at seven in the morning so that we could grab a bite to eat before arriving in Phoenix. We went to our rooms and Dad crashed immediately. I was really tired but took a shower before I crashed as I felt sore all over from sitting all day in the car. I was the least tired from the rest as I didn't drive at all. Everyone else took turns driving the Newton's van, Carlisle's car and Lone's truck.

Dad woke me up half an hour before we were leaving the motel looking refreshed and excited. I tried not to show my hesitancy in stepping foot back in that house. After a quick bite to eat at the diner near the motel we were back on I-10 heading East towards Arizona. We took a short bathroom break in Blythe while Dad called his friend in the Phoenix Police Department who took care of changing the locks to the house confirming our arrival at the house around 1 p.m. as scheduled.

When we got to the house there was a Phoenix police cruiser parked out front. Since there was no one around I assumed my Dad's friend was inside the house. When we pulled into the driveway the front door opened and a man dressed in uniform stepped out of the house waving at Dad. Dad and I got out of the van and he introduced us to his friend, Captain Jason Brooks.

"Nice to see you again, Charlie. Welcome to Phoenix. I hope the drive wasn't too awful. Come on inside and cool off, you must not be used to this heat since I hear it rains most of the time in Forks," Captain Brooks smiled leading us into the house. It felt a little odd being lead into my own house. I lingered a minute outside mustering courage to step into the house. Dad must've noticed that I was missing as he came rushing out of the house.

"Bells? Are you okay? Do you want me to sit outside with you for a little while?"

"Dad, what does it look like in the house?" Phil and I left early in the morning the day of the press conference and I didn't do any cleaning days prior to that so the house was a huge mess last I saw.

"I had Jason send in a cleaning crew after the locks were changed. It looks nice and clean in there Bella. Jason packed all the things that appeared to be Phil's in boxes and sent it to Phil's lawyer's office. It's likely he's missed some things but I'm sure it's better than seeing everything all there," Dad explained rubbing soothing circles on my back.

"I'm ready to go in, Dad," I asserted and we walked hand in hand through the door. Edward and Jasper stood in the foyer looking worried as I entered the house. When I looked in the living room I noticed all of Phil's baseball memorabilia were gone and the living room looked a lot like what it used to before Phil moved in with us.

I felt calmer after seeing the living room with most of Phil's things gone. Now that I was in the house Captain Brooks wished us well and told Dad to call him if there was anything he needed. Captain Brooks hugged me and whispered into my ear to take care of Dad and that Dad looked really good and happy now that he had me. I smiled and thanked him for all he'd done for me and promised I'll take good care of Dad.

"Want a tour of the house?" I asked and Alice immediately came and wrapped her arm around mine. Since they've already seen the living room and the dining room I showed them Mom's craft room where she drew and painted. Then I opened the door to the basement and told them the laundry was also down there, then showed them the guest bathroom, mom's master bath and bedroom, and my bedroom with the connecting bathroom.

"Can we see some pictures of you and your Mom?" Alice asked hesitantly. It seemed like everyone was walking on egg shells around me.

"Sure. They're in the antique trunk in the living room," I replied leading them back to the living room.

**Charlie's POV**

Shocked was an understatement when I saw how rundown Renee and Bella's house was. My heart felt heavy when the realization hit me that they must have really struggled with money for a long time. Bella had told me on the drive over that the house was old and it was a HUD Repo home Renee purchased at a bargain price. She laughed telling me that Renee's friends had helped them put up drywall, doors, windows, and fixed the plumbing in the house and that Bella and Renee slept in their car in the garage until the house could lock as the door and the screen was barely holding up when they purchased the house. The house was larger than mine but it was close to downtown in a very rundown neighborhood with many elderly people and questionable characters. The house on the left looked vacant and the house on the right was occupied by ASU students. I felt a little relieved when Bella explained that the occupants were new and that both houses were previously owned by elderly couples who recently moved in with their children so they were not the neighbors Bella originally grew up around. She told me that the elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Davies, who lived in the house where the ASU students now occupied, used to babysit Bella during the hours Renee worked outside the home. She explained to me that it was only the last few years they were able to live on just the income from Renee's illustrations and until then Renee worked at a 24 hour diner down the street forcing Bella to stay at the elderly couple's home on the nights she worked. I made a mental note to track the old couple down and thank them for taking care of Bella. The more I found out about Bella's living conditions growing up the more I regretted not asking for joint custody.

My mood picked up when Alice asked Bella to show some family pictures. The first picture was her first birthday which appeared to be taken in a trailer home and Bella and Renee had the happiest smile on their faces holding one cupcake with one candle lit on the cupcake. Bella wore a party hat and looked genuinely happy.

I was thankful despite money being tight that Renee had taken a lot of pictures of Bella growing up. The next picture that caught my attention was of Bella carrying an umbrella wearing shiny new red rubber boots. It looked really dry and sunny outside but there were puddles and a hose lying on the ground. I assumed Renee had created puddles for Bella to play in. When Alice turned the page everyone burst into laughter seeing Bella all muddy sitting in the puddle crying.

"What happened?" Alice asked with tears running down her cheeks.

"Ummm you see it was really sunny out but I wanted to use my new umbrella and rain boots Mom purchasedso she used the hose to make some puddles and it was fine until she thought it would be fun for me if she used the hose to make it rain so that I could use the umbrella but the water pressure was too strong and it caused me to fall and slip in the puddle," Bella explained laughing blushing crimson from her face down to her chest.

"That's so precious," Carlisle said and nodded at me.

The next picture Alice pointed out was so hilarious that it caused Alice to rolloff the couch laughing. The picture on the page showed Bella about three years old dressed as a princess in a pink dress full of ruffles holding a beach sand bucket full of candies but like the previous picture when Alice turned the page you saw Bella standing with her nose scrunched up with a wad of white wet glob stuck to her and pink paint running down her body.

"I'm scared to ask what happened," Alice declared crying from laughter. "How could such a cute pink dress turn into that mess?" Alice continued**,** pointing to the picture.

I was thankful Bella could see the humor of her childhood mishaps. "You see, again money was tight and Mom didn't want to ruin perfectly good clothes to make a princess dress so she dyed paper and those thick paper towels and sewed that pink ruffled dress out of them. It was fine until it started to rain," Bella explained covering her crimson face.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed, you got to experience so many precious moments with your Mom. I don't even remember what I did for Halloween back then. My parents took very few pictures of me growing up," Jasper said smiling softly at Bella.

"We have pictures but nothing so awesome like these," Alice said, hugging Bella.

Then came pages and pages cataloging Bella's many injuries over a period of time. I was horrified and felt sick to my stomach seeing her in pain even when it was something that had happened in the past. The worst picture from the many in the album was of Bella sporting a cast on her left leg, arm, and a bandage wrapped around her head.

"Bells, what happened in that picture?" I asked warily.

"I got hit by an ice cream truck," Bella replied giggling. Edward gasped, looking shocked.

"Oh my god, only something like that would happen to you but how exactly does that happen?" Alice asked giggling.

"Easy. We were slow at getting enough change to buy ice cream and the truck was about to leave so while Mom was tapping on the door of the ice cream truck**,** I tried to stop the truck by standing in front of it but since I was small the truck driver didn't see me so I got hit and flew to the sidewalk. Thankfully the truck was moving at a snail's pace so I came out with only a few broken bones from when I hit the dumpster and landed on the ground," Bella explained laughing.

I was growing paler by the minute and didn't think my stomach could stand my hearing any more about Bella's injuries. After seeing so many pictures of Bella's injuries I learned something very important. Bella's extensive medical bills must've been a major contributor to money being tight. Carlisle must have noticed my overwhelmed look and threw me a lifeline suggesting Alice and Bella should go get some pizzas for our lunch. I couldn't thank Carlisle enough.

"How are you holding up?" Carlisle asked squeezing my shoulder after the girls left for the pizzas.

"I'm thrilled I got this chance to see what their lives were like but at the same time it pains me to know that I could have helped make their life easier."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I think Renee did a fantastic job raising Bella despite the circumstances. The smiles on Bella in all those pictures were genuine leading me to believe she had a really great and unique childhood. Just look at her now; she's neither bitter nor troubled. She grew up into a kind, caring, and intelligent girl that any parent would be proud of."

"Thanks Carlisle," I sighed trying to convince myself what he said was true.

"If Bella doesn't want to keep all the things in Renee's craft room, would you mind if I took the remaining items home? I think Esme would love to have some of the things Renee used for her art."

"Oh of course. Why don't we just pack everything up and I'll have Bella look through them at home and I'll take the ones she doesn't want to Esme?"

"Thanks Charlie. That sounds perfect. I'll start packing the things in the craft room with Edward and Jasper then. How about you go and look in Renee's room before Bella returns?" Carlisle asked and I nodded.

When I entered Renee's bedroom I immediately spotted an antique chest by the foot of the bed that I didn't notice during our earlier tour of the house. When I opened the chest I felt a pang in my heart. The chest was full of Bella's belongings when she was still a baby. There were blankets, booties, hats, dresses, pajamas, and stuffed animals. Some of the items were actually ones that Renee and I purchased for Bella when we were still together. In it also was the little swan pendant Billy crafted out of silver for Bella when she was born, a little baby bracelet Esme and Carlisle had given Bella that was a match to Alice's with the Cullen crest charm, and the little gold heart baby's ring that I got for her so that she will grow into a woman with a heart of gold. I crumpled onto the floor and cried holding the little blanket Bella was wrapped in when Renee left Forks with her. I hated myself for letting them go alone. I should've left Forks with them.

"Dad? Are you okay?" I heard Bella's soft voice laced with worry. She walked into the room slowly and bit her bottom lip contemplating something. She then sat down beside me and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Mom used to always open this chest and look through it whenever things got really bad. She said it gave her strength and hope that tomorrow was going to be a better day. She never really let me see what was in it though. She said she was going to give it to me when I got married but when I got older I got sneaky and looked inside. I was disappointed cuz it was just a bunch of my old baby things."

"When you have your own child you'll know why your Mom felt the way she did. You were her everything and by looking at your things it gave her the strength she needed to get through whatever that was troubling her. I had your nursery to sit in when things got too hard for me."

"We should go downstairs. The pizzas are here and if we don't head down fast they are gonna get eaten up by Edward and Jasper," Bella smiled and got up holding her hand out to me. We walked down the stairs hand in hand.

"Look at what I found! These are so cute. Did you and your Mom make these?" Alice asked holding up colorful plates with flowers, fruits, and pictures of a woman and a little girl drawn on them.

"Mom taught pottery classes at the town's recreation center one summer when I was really young. She took me along with her so I made a lot of plates and bowls with her help. It was a lot of fun. They're really old now but Mom took very good care of them so they're still in good condition."

"We're definitely taking those back to Forks," I said looking at the plates feeling proud of how talented Bella was even as a little girl. I really wished I could've been there to see her make these plates. I could easily imagine Bella smiling and having fun drawing and painting the plates.

"I think we have some paper plates we could use instead," Bella replied before searching the cabinets for paper plates and napkins. "Here's some," Bella said and placed the paper plates on the table.

After we finished the pizzas Carlisle and I started going through the items in the kitchen to pack while Bella and Alice went to pack Bella's room leaving Edward and Jasper in charge of the living room packing the photo albums, videos, and books.

**EPOV**

After we spent a few hours packing it was time for dinner so we all piled into the Mercedes and headed to Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles as planned by Bella and Alice to throw me a little birthday dinner. The Chief and Bella were carrying several shopping bags along with several cylindrical poster cases. I wondered what they were for and hoped that they had nothing to do with my birthday. I really didn't want to take anything away from this trip for Bella and the Chief.

The food was great and before we ordered the red velvet cake Bella suggested she started to pull items out of the shopping bags.

"Ummm. As a thank you to all of you for helping my Dad and I to move things back to Forks, I'd like to give you some keepsakes to remember my home in Phoenix. They're not new because they are all things Mom and I collected over the years at flea markets, garage sales, and objects we got from Mr. and Mrs. Davies before they went to live with their children but I hope you all will like them."

"Bella, they are special things for you to remember your Mother by. It's for you to keep," Dad said to Bella.

"I have plenty of other things to remember my Mom by and she's forever in my heart. Nothing compares to that. Okay, so here is a little something for you, Carlisle," Bella said and handed Dad a GI Joe tin lunch box.

"Bella is that an original one?" Alice asked looking extremely surprised. Bella smiled and nodded. "Bella, you could make so much money from that," Alice gasped.

"I don't care about money. I just want your Dad to have something that Mom and I liked. I think this GI Joe lunch box is from the late sixties. Maybe you had something like this growing up?"

"Thank you Bella; this is great. I think I had something similar and I can't wait to show this to Esme," Dad said smiling looking genuinely excited.

"Here is one for you. It's a Barbie lunch box and I placed a vintage Barbie doll in it," Bella explained, handing the lunch box to Alice.

"Oh, Bella, I can't accept this; they're so precious. You should keep them for yourself," Alice said so I tried to grab it from her hand and Alice growled at me.

"I'll have it if you don't want it," I teased Alice.

"I really want you to have it. I wasn't into playing with Barbie dolls growing up," Bella said smiling at Alice.

Then Bella handed a poster case to Jasper smiling. "This is for all that you've done for me over the years. Our old neighbor, Mr. Davies, was quite a collector and he gave me a lot of things," Jasper gasped when he pulled out a vintage original Lone Ranger movie poster.

"Duckling, seriously I can't take this. You could easily make a grand off this poster. Chief, please tell Bella that she should keep this or sell it herself."

The Chief shook his head smiling. "She wants you to have it, Jasper. It'll make both of us happy if you'd accept it."

"Now this is for you, Edward. Happy Birthday! I'm sorry it's not gift wrapped and you might want to hide them from Emmett." Bella said and handed me a poster case and a shopping bag.

When I looked in the shopping bag I found two vintage Star Wars lunch boxes from the 70s and two original Star Wars movie posters. I couldn't stop smiling. Emmett and I have been collecting Star Wars collectables since we were kid**s** but neither one of us had the lunch boxes or the original movie posters. All these itemscombined could easily make more than a grand on eBay for Bella.

"Thank you Bella. I love them, but are you sure you want to let go of all these things?"

"I'm sure. Mr. Davies gave those to me to put towards my college fund, but thanks to Volturi Games I no longer have that financial problem. There is more stuff Mom and I collected still sitting in the basement which will leave me plenty of things to sell. Phil never knew about these items so that's why he never went through the old boxes in the basement."

"Well I'll be happy to help you sell the goods on eBay," Alice said bouncing happily in her seat.

After dinner Dad, Alice, Bella, and the Chief headed to the motel leaving Jasper and I to return to Bella's house where we will spend the night and continue packing. Jasper suggested we spend the night so we could sneak a peek into their home videos before we finished packing them.

As I went to the kitchen to grab some beers and chips I heard a bellow from the living room. "Edward, hurry up!" Jasper shouted laughing.

When I entered the room I observed Jasper rolling on the floor clutching his stomach and Bella being hosed by Renee on the screen. It was the video version of the picture we saw earlier. The picture didn't do the incident justice. It was way funnier on video.

"Dammit, I want to see it from the beginning," I said grabbing the remote from Jasper rewinding it to the beginning of the tape.

As soon as the video started I burst into laughter. On the screen was Bella bouncing on the bed dressed as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shouting "Cowabunga," then she bounced off the bed crashing into the dresser and whimpered "Turtle Power," in tears with Renee laughing in the background.

The next scene had Bella wearing a white beret, face, arms and hands painted in blue, wearing white pants and white sneakers singing-

_La la la la la la _

_Sing the happy song _

_La la la la la la _

_Smurf your whole day long_

…

"The Chief's gonna love this tape. She looks so happy. It'll give him relief to see that she had an amazing childhood," Jasper said and I couldn't agree more.

The next scene showed Bella wearing glasses, an orange turtle neck sweater, mini skirt, and orange socks shaking her booty in the kitchen eating a cookie with Renee singing in the background.

_Scooby Dooby Doo _

_Where are you _

_We got some work to do now _

_Scooby Dooby Doo _

_Where are you _

_We need some help from you now _

…

Jasper's jaw dropped and when I looked on the screen Renee was now dressed as Cheetara and Bella as WilyKit from the Thundercats. What Renee was dressed in had to be illegal to accompany Bella trick-or-treating. Renee's consisted of a black spotted blond wig, orange one piece bathing suit and orange boots.

"Wow!" Jasper said. "Wow indeed," I chuckled and fast forwarded the tape. I don't know why but I felt guilty watching the Chief's ex-wife in a bathing suit.

"Oh my God, look at that! Chief Swan is going to love this!" Jasper said pointing the screen. Bella was dressed in a Halloween policeman costume watching Cops on TV singing along the "Cops" theme song.

_Huh _

_Bad boys _

_Whatcha want Whatcha want Whatcha gonna do _

_When Sheriff Bella Swan come for you _

_Tell me_

_Whatcha wanna do_

_Whatcha gonna do _

_Bad boys Bad boys _

…

"I don't know about that. The lyrics aren't really appropriate for Bella's age. What was Bella's mom thinking teaching her that song or letting her watch Cops at such a young age?" I said pissed at Bella's Mom.

"Dude, calm down. I think Bella's Mom was a realist. She probably didn't want to shelter Bella from things that went down around her. I'm pretty sure Bella had her fair share of growing up in rough neighborhoods. It was probably safer to teach Bella how unsafe it was and making her actually see some of the things that happened around her," Jasper explained calmly. Logically I could understand what Jasper was saying but that didn't mean I should like or accept it.

After we finished watching the videotape we were worn out from the laughing so we quickly finished packing things in the living room. Jasper went to sleep in Renee's bedroom and I went to Bella's room. Her bed was tiny but her pillow smelled just like her. I cuddled the pillow and fell asleep quickly.

I was rudely woken by Alice shaking me awake, ordering me to get my sorry ass out of bed and hop in the shower. I showered quickly using Bella's shampoo and body wash leaving the shower smelling just like her. When I got to the kitchen everyone was busy having breakfast.

"Did you sleep okay? I heard you slept on my bed. Wasn't it too tiny for you?"

"I sleep curled up so I didn't have any problem. Actually I slept really well," I said smiling at Bella.

As soon as we were done with breakfast, Jasper, Bella, Alice and I went to the basement to finish packing while our dads started hauling the boxes out to the cars. By noon we were done packing up and loading the boxes into the cars. Dad, Alice, Jasper and I went to a nearby Chinese restaurant forsome takeout. We all didn't have to go but Dad wanted to give Bella and her dad some alone time before we all headed back home.

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to show a little something about Bella's childhood and needed a little calm before the storm before I throw something big in the next chapter. Oops, that sounds almost like a cliffy doesn't it. Sorry!

As promised in the beginning of the chapter I'll be sending out a special Outtake to all reviewers. I think you'll like it!

Thank you for reading my story.


	11. Chapter 11 If today was your last day

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

**I only own the plot of the story. **

**Thanks JCook169 for your awesome beta skills! **

**Chapter 11 If today was your last day**

**Alice's POV**

Weeks passed like a blur after we returned from Phoenix. Summer school was a drag but Bella and I got to spend a lot of time together as she stayed at our house after school until Chief Swan came to pick her up after work. Edward or Jasper drove Bella and me to school in the morning and picked us up after school. Since Bella couldn't make it into the fall semester at U-Dub, I decided to start in the spring semester so we could start together. Chief Swan looked thrilled that he had more months to spend with Bella in Forks. Uncle Aro offered Bella an apartment if she wanted to live in Seattle starting in September but she surprised me by declining the offer stating she wanted to be close to her dad for a few more months. If I were her I would've definitely moved out of Forks to live in Seattle.

Dad and Mom were throwing a barbecue for Bella and me today for finishing summer school receiving our diplomas yesterday. It was a small get together but as soon as Emmett found out about it, he called to say that he and Rosalie were driving back to Forks to join us. Dad even called Billy Black and his son to join Bella and her dad as Chief Swan considered the Blacks part of their family.

Chief Swan was coming straight to the party from the station so I volunteered to pick Bella up. I should've left a while ago to allow Bella and me to return by 11:30. I figured they would just have to start the party with their guest of honors missing.

"Alice, what the hell are you still doing here? The party is starting in half an hour. You were supposed to be back here with Bella by now," my annoying brother yelled at me.

"If you were so worried, you should have just gone to get her rather than bitching about it," I growled at him rushing down the stairs and flying out the door.

I was speeding quite a bit but was almost hit by a car that sped passed me. Right as I made the turn to go onto Bella's street I saw the car that sped past hit a person walking on the road. I slammed on my breaks and felt nauseous over what I was witnessing in front of my eyes. The driver got out of the car and instead of checking on the girl on the ground he started kicking the crap out of her.

I got scared and slid further down in my seat so that the attacker wouldn't notice me and quickly called 911. As soon as I was off the phone I peeked to see what was happening and the air left my lungs when I realized that the person being attacked was Bella and that there was a lot of blood around her.

I was scared but I couldn't let the man keep attacking Bella so I grabbed the emergency hammer, and ran swinging the emergency hammer screaming. Then another car screeched to a halt and the door swung open beside the attacker. The attacker quickly grabbed Bella's backpack and took off in the car abandoning the vehicle he was driving.

Bella was still conscious but was coughing blood out of her mouth. "Bella, Bella, hang on. The ambulance is coming. Bella, Bella, HELP. Somebody HELP. SOMEDBODY HELP US!" I kept screaming for help.

I forgot my phone in the car, but found Bella's phone on the ground, and it looked like it was still working, so I called the house.

"DAD, DAD, HELP! HELP ME DAD!" I screamed into the phone.

"Alice honey, what's wrong? Where are you?" I heard Dad asking me.

"Dad, she's bleeding. She's bleeding so much. Help me, Dad. Bella's gonna die," I sobbed into the phone while my whole body was shaking.

"Alice honey, you need to tell me where you are."

"Near Bella's house," I replied choking out the words. I could barely see anything because of the tears blurring my sight.

"Stay there Alice. I'll be right there," Dad said and instead of hanging up I heard Mom's voice.

"Alice dear, stay with me and try to calm down. Take a deep breath. Your Dad is on the way. Are you hurt? What happened, honey?"

"I couldn't help her, Mom. The man kept kicking her after he hit her with his car. There's so much blood. Mom, I feel dizzy."

"Alice honey, are you bleeding?" I heard Mom ask me and somewhere along all the questions she kept asking I stopped hearing Mom's voice and all I could hear was someone screaming.

**EPOV**

I jumped into my car and headed to Bella's right after Mom explained to me that Bella had been attacked. Dad wanted us to go straight to the hospital but I really wanted to be there for Bella, so I ignored his request and asked Jasper to drive Mom to the hospital as she was still on the phone with Alice. I had no idea how bad her injuries were but Dad was on his way to Bella so I knew she would get medical attention as soon as he arrived. I called Chief Swan at the station to alert him but one of his men informed me that the Chief was already at the scene. I asked the officer for more details but he wouldn't divulge anything to me.

When I turned into the road Bella's house was on I immediately spotted Dad's car and the police cruiser. I heard Alice's scream for help and ran towards the cars and found Dad working on Bella and Chief Swan holding Bella's hand in tears. Alice was in hysterics and was still screaming for help crumpled beside Bella.

I ran to Alice and crushed her into my chest telling her that Dad was here to help Bella and everything was fine now but she just wouldn't stop screaming. I carried her a few feet away so that her screams wouldn't deter Dad from working on Bella. He looked like he was trying really hard to stop Bella's bleeding. She was coughing up blood and her leg was bent in such a way that even I could tell it was broken and it was bleeding heavily.

"It's my fault. It's my fault…" Alice repeated rocking her body against me.

"Ssshhh. Don't worry, Alice. Dad is here so Bella will be fine. It's not your fault. It's not your fault," I repeated to her trying to calm her down.

Dad called me over to assist him so I rushed to him leaving Alice a few feet away but she started crawling towards Bella.

Dad told me to take my T-shirt off and place it on Bella's leg and instructed me to apply pressure to control the bleeding. A sense of relief passed through me when I heard the ambulance approaching. The EMT immediately rushed out of the ambulance and placed Bella on the stretcher while Dad still had his hands on Bella to stop the bleeding. Dad boarded the ambulance with Bella and Chief Swan led the ambulance towards the hospital.

One of the EMTs stayed behind to take care of Alice. Chief Swan's backup arrived and the officer started to tape off the area. The ambulance to transport Alice to the hospital arrived so I got into my car and followed right behind them.

I saw Mom being held up by Jasper at the emergency bay when we arrived. Alice was rolled into the hospital on the stretcher and I immediately went to hug Mom. Mom was a mess and didn't look like she could stand on her own.

"Why do all these horrible things happen to Bella? We can't lose her; Charlie wouldn't survive," Mom cried in my arms. She started to sway so I increased my grip on her.

"Tell me what's happening," I said to Jasper but he had his head hung low and all I heard were his sobs which caused my eyes to start to tear up. He was always cool and collected but right now he was a mess.

Mom left my arms when she saw Chief Swan and went to hug him. The Chief's eyes were red and swollen and tears were falling down his chin. "Why? What has she done to deserve this?" He sobbed to Mom. "I have to go and catch the one who did this to her. Please take care of her for me," He begged looking like he didn't want to go but he was a man of the law and there was a criminal he needed to catch.

A few minutes later, one of the Chief's men approached Mom and explained to her that Alice was the one who reported the hit and run. Alice was the only witness so as soon as she was stable enough he wanted to question her. Mom acknowledged his request and we all waited until we were allowed to see Alice once she calmed down.

Something kept buzzing and buzzing and I realized that it was my phone. When I picked up the phone Emmett yelled into the phone asking where the hell we all were and that he was at home with the Blacks. I just didn't have the energy to deal with Emmett. "We're at the hospital because Bella got hit by a car," I said sobbing into the phone.

"I'll see you there," was all Emmett said and hung up the phone. I was thankful he didn't ask for more details as I just couldn't think straight.

Right before Emmett and Rosalie arrived with the Blacks, one of the nurses came in and handed me a clean set of scrubs to change into. Until then I didn't realize I was soaked in Bella's blood.

"Tell me what's going on!" was the first thing Emmett said when he stormed into the waiting room with Rosalie and the Blacks behind him. I explained to Emmett what I heard the officer tell Mom earlier and that Bella was in surgery and that we were waiting for Alice to calm down.

Soon after I returned to the waiting room after changing into the clean scrubs I realized that many of the townspeople were gathering in the hospital after hearing about the Chief's daughter in critical condition. Mrs. Cope, Mr. Banner, Cora from the diner, the Newtons, Stanleys, Mallorys, Crowleys, Yorkies, and some of the people from the reservation were amongst the people who gathered at the hospital to give support to Chief Swan. I hadn't realized until now how much the people of Forks respected and cared about the Chief.

"Where is Chief Swan?" Angela and Ben approached me asking.

"He left to catch whoever did this to Bella."

"Oh, I feel so sorry for him that he can't be here with her," Angela sniffled.

"I'm sure he'll be back here as soon as he can," I assured Angela.

"Do you think this incident is related to Bella's project?" Emmett asked.

"Well I doubt this was a simple hit and run and we know there is more than one person involved in this since the attacker abandoned his vehicle."

"Do you think it was James Bellinger and if it was who would his accomplice be?"

"We'll know as soon as Alice is stable enough to talk," I said and Emmett nodded in defeat. I understood exactly how Emmett was feeling. None of us just wanted to sit around. We wanted to do something to catch the attacker.

Emmett, Jasper, and I slumped down by the wall and sat in silence. I noticed a lot of movement around us and spotted Rosalie passing out coffees to the people who gathered to support Chief Swan. Two of the Chief's men thanked the people who gathered on behalf of Chief Swan and kindly asked them to head back home as it would be hours until we'd know more about Bella's condition and that the Chief would feel better if they were all safe at home since the attacker was on the loose.

Once everyone except the Blacks and our family left the hospital, Chief Swan returned to check on the girls' status. He flopped down on the couch beside Mom and held his head down between his legs.

Mom rubbed soothing circles on the Chief's back and kept assuring him that Dad was in there with Bella and doing his best.

"Boo-Boo Bear is a tough one. I know she'll make it," Emmett said squeezing my shoulder.

I don't think my brain was functioning anymore as I couldn't keep a conversation going with Emmett. I kept wishing I had gone to pick Bella up instead of Alice so that Bella wouldn't have left her house on her own. I should have known that Alice was going to be late to pick up Bella and that Bella would start walking towards our house so she wouldn't be late to her own party.

Images of Bella flashed through my mind. The scared sickly thin girl I met for the first time at Jasper's, her twinkling eyes whenever she had something sweet in her mouth, her screaming and blushing crimson when I saw her naked in the bathroom, Bella laughing at Emmet's stupid jokes, giggling and snorting at crazy little things Alice did, and me kissing her at the brewery.

Nickelback's "If Today was your Last Day," ran through my mind as images of Bella flashed non-stop.

_Would you find that one you're dreaming of?_

_Swear up and down to God above_

_That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?_

…

_So do whatever it takes_

'_Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life_

_Let nothing stand in the way_

'_Cause hands of time are never on your side_

…

I regretted not telling Bella how special she was to me. I was scared of the feelings for her that were growing inside me. I never mentioned to anyone that I wasn't as drunk as people thought when I kissed Bella in LA. I kissed her because I wanted to, not because I was drunk. Now I felt like an ass for not talking to her about it. She probably thought I didn't remember butI would never forget that kiss. Emmett even gave me footage of the Kiss-Cam before he deleted the section on the tape where Bella and I were on screen. I was certain I was falling in love with Bella Swan but I restrained myself everyday because I only had to wait a little while longer until she turned 18 and then it was going to be no holds barred. Now I was scared that maybe, just maybe, it was too late for me to tell her that I loved her. I mentally yelled at myself for even thinking that. Bella would never die; I would make sure of it.

I don't know how long I spent in my own world, but when I looked up on the wall clock it was past six p.m. I searched the room for Mom or Chief Swan but both were absent.

"Where did Mom and Chief Swan go?" I asked Emmett.

"Alice woke up but she still feels quite groggy from the sedatives. The Chief, Mom, and another of the Chief's men are with Alice right now getting some answers.

"Shouldn't we be there too?"

"The doctors advised us to stay behind to keep excitement to a minimum since Alice really can't handle much right now after all that she experienced today. Can you imagine your best friend getting hit by a car, attacked, and bleeding non-stop right in front of your eyes? I'd be in a catatonic state right now if I were her."

Mom returned to the waiting room an hour later and told us that Alice had to be sedated again but Chief Swan got enough information from Alice and that the attacker was indeed James Bellinger but Alice didn't see what the driver in the get-away car looked like.

"I should call Aro," Emmett said attempting to leave the room but Mom stopped him explaining that she had already spoken to Aro and that he was actually on his way to Forks with Jane and should be here in a couple of hours.

"Wow. That was quick. How did Aro find out?" I asked Mom.

"Charlie called Aro asking him to send Felix or Alec to come and guard Bella's door while she was in the hospital. Charlie explained to him what had happened so Aro called me."

"He doesn't really need be here. I'm sure he has some kind of ulterior motive. He's probably just covering his ass so that he won't be blamed for any of this," Emmett snickered.

"Emmett! My brother cares a great deal about all of you. His niece just witnessed her best friend get attacked and Bella is in critical condition. Of course he'd want to be here to support the family," Mom retorted with irritation in her voice and Emmett just shook his head muttering that she was too naïve.

"You kids should all go home. Get something to eat, take a nap, and come back if you want to later," Mom suggested although she looked like she needed the rest more than any of us combined.

Jasper and I refused to return home. We didn't want to leave the hospital until we knew the status of Bella's condition. Emmett told us he'll be back with some food and fresh clothes for us and left with Rose. They had to be exhausted from the drive from Seattle to Forks.

Mom also talked to the Blacks suggesting they go home and she'd notify them of Bella's status as soon as she hears anything. Billy told her that Bella was like family to him and since Chief Swan couldn't be here for Bella, he wanted be here for him. Mom nodded in understanding but offered them our guest room if they wanted to freshen up.

Jasper and I decided to go to the cafeteria to grab some coffee. We grabbed a seat and put our heads down on the table. "I'm starting to think that we should convince Duckling to give up the Ugly Duckling project. No project is worth risking your life over," Jasper said sighing.

I couldn't agree more but this was a choice Bella needed to make on her own. I was sure Chief Swan would be in agreement with Jasper as well and would probably push to stop her from working on the project. "It's her choice to make. Seeing how Bella reacted when Chief Swan prohibited her from attending E3, I can only imagine she'd act similarly if anyone tried to force her to do something against her will. I'm going to support her decision even if it goes against Chief Swan's wishes."

"Even if it's life threatening?" Jasper said glaring at me.

"Of course I don't want her doing anything that would harm her but it's her choice to make since it's her life. Even if Chief Swan prohibits her from working on the game, as soon as she turns eighteen, which is next month, she'll just leave him and go her own way. They put the Phoenix house up for sale. Bella no longer has a home to return to if she leaves Chief Swan. I don't want her to feel like she's alone in this world. I'm going to support her no matter what."

Jasper sighed in defeat but he understood what I said perfectly. We both didn't want her to do anything that would harm her but at the same time we knew if we didn't support her decisions she would walk away from us and try to survive on her own in this cold hearted world.

After our little talk we went back to the waiting room and found Mom sitting on the couch with Aro and Jane. Aro also had two people from the legal team with him but there were no signs of the Blacks around anymore.

"Bella came out of surgery and Charlie is with her in the ICU. Her heart failed during surgery but they were able to revive her. She had to have a splenectomy. Her right leg and wrist is in a cast. She also had 4 broken ribs," Mom sniffled while explaining the extent of Bella's injuries.

I was at loss for words due to shock. When Mom mentioned that Bella's heart failed I thought I felt my heart stop only to start again when Mom said that they were able to revive her. The news was overwhelming. I opened my mouth to ask if she was going to make a full recovery but words wouldn't come out of my mouth.

"Your Dad is hopeful but she has lost a lot of blood and is very weak so the next 24 hours is going to be critical," Mom explained

"I'm going to spend the night here with Charlie. You and Jasper should lead Aro and Jane back to the house. I'll give you a call if there is a change of status in Bella's condition."

I wanted to wait at the hospital but there wasn't much else Jasper and I could do and I also wanted to discuss the attackers with Emmett and Jasper now that we know it was James who did this to Bella, so I called Emmett and Rosalie informing them that we were on our way back to the house but that Mom was staying. Aro left Felix behind at the hospital and Alec got into Aro's limo with Jane. The limo followed Jasper's and my car back to the house.

**BPOV**

I was in excruciating pain. My whole body hurt, including my face. I hated the annoying beeping sound around me and I couldn't figure out why I couldn't move my body. I tried to open my eyes but I could barely open my left eye. The first thing I saw was Dad looking really blurry. There was something up my nose and it hurt.

"Bella, I've called the doctor. You have a breathing tube in your nose. I'll have it removed so hang on. Don't struggle with it," Dad kept repeating to me.

I'm not quite sure what happened but the next moment I opened my eyes there was nothing down my nose and I saw Carlisle smiling at me. I felt a lot of pain when I coughed. I was surrounded by white walls and beeping machines. It took me a while to realize I was in the hospital as things started to come back to me.

"James," I said but my voice was so quiet I wasn't sure if Dad or Carlisle heard me.

"We know, baby. Don't worry about a thing. We're searching for him. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," Dad said rubbing his thumb on my cheek with tears dripping down his chin.

"My face hurts and I can't open the other eye."

"I'm sorry, Bella. Your right eye is swollen so it's probably going to be hard to open it until the swelling goes down," Carlisle explained to me with sadness and pain etched in his eyes.

"Do I look like a freak?"

"You don't look like a freak, baby," Dad said and I saw more tears falling from his cheeks.

"Don't cry. I'm not dying, right?" I asked Carlisle.

"You'll be fine but it's going to be a long road to recovery. You have 4 broken ribs, broken wrist, broken leg, and we had to remove your spleen."

"Wow. That sounds really expensive. I hope I have insurance," I tried to throw in some humor as Dad looked distressed and broken so I decided to shift the focus of attention to Alice from me as I just remembered that I heard Alice's voice when James was attacking me.

"Is Alice okay?"

"Alice is fine. She was just in shock. She went home two days ago."

"Huh? Two days? I've been here two days?" I gasped.

"Three days," Dad answered. He looked really tired and worn out. I even noticed he had dark circles around his eyes like he hadn't slept for days.

"Have you gone home at all?" I asked Dad and he shook his head.

"Go home, Dad. You need to sleep. If you get sick, who's going to take care of me?"

"You should listen to Bella. Edward and Jasper can come here and take turns watching Bella for you," Carlisle suggested to Dad.

"Go home or I'm going to force myself out of this bed to push you out the door if you don't leave on your own," I threatened. Dad raised his arms in defeat.

"Let me just stay for a little while longer. I missed you Bells. I promise to leave soon and come back later."

"Come back tomorrow, Dad. Sleep!" Dad sighed and looked at Carlisle.

"She'll be fine. We'll all keep an eye out for her," Carlisle assured Dad.

"When can I go home?" I asked causing Carlisle and Dad to chuckle.

"Maybe in 10 to 14 days depending on your recovery. We removed your spleen and you have four broken ribs, Bella."

"Well then give the spleen back to me so I can go home already," I said pouting but my mouth hurt. "Do I have a fat lip too?"

"I'm afraid so," Dad answered looking so broken it was painful to watch.

"None of the bones in your face were broken and you won't have a scar. As soon as the swelling subsides and the bruises heal you'll be good as new," Carlisle predicted tapping me on my nose softly.

"I think I'm hungry..."

"Well, unfortunately you can only have broth, Jell-o, water, or a popsicle today. I can ask someone to bring them to you after we move you from ICU," Carlisle answered testing my reaction.

I frowned and suggested "How about chocolate pudding?" Carlisle chuckled and shook his head.

"Jell-o pudding pops?" Those were classified as popsicles. Carlisle and Dad laughed shaking their heads.

"Well, I'm going to go and prepare for your move to your private room."

"Private room?" My eyes bulged out. I didn't want Dad to waste his money.

"Don't worry about the bills, Bells. Volturi Games is covering all the expense and Aro is still here in Forks."

"What do you mean still here?"

"He came the day you were attacked and has been in Forks since. I'm sure he'd be happy to see that you are conscious now so he could return to Seattle."

"Oh I feel bad."

"Bella, you have nothing to feel bad about. We all care about you and it was his choice to come here," Carlisle said smiling.

"Please make sure I get a chance to thank him before he leaves."

"I'll let Esme know. I'll call home and let everyone know you're up and well enough to have visitors today after you're relocated to your private room," Carlisle stated and waved at me before heading towards the door.

"I think I want to stay till you get settled in your room."

"Dad, just go. I'll be fine. I'm sure Carlisle will make sure I'm safe here. They have security people."

"I'm not worried about that. Felix is outside the door guarding the ICU."

"What? Felix is here? Why?"

"I asked Aro to send them here. I failed to protect you, Bella."

"I didn't get attacked inside the house Dad. It was my fault for stepping outside alone. It's been a while since I had Alec and Felix around and I kind of forgot that I was in any kind of danger. It's not your fault."

"Well we both made a very painful mistake. I could've lost you, Bells. I'm never going to let that happen. I'm insisting on having Aro's personal security detail follow you around until James Bellinger is caught," Dad declared and I nodded in defeat. Even I wasn't crazy enough to risk getting attacked by that asshole again.

"I'm gonna be fine. You should go now. Go to the diner, grab something to eat and crash for the night. I want those dark circles gone when I see you tomorrow. I'd kiss you but my face hurts and I can't get up," Dad smiled and kissed me on my nose and left the room with hesitation written all over his face.

**A/N**

Did you like the chapter? I didn't want you guys hanging till I write the next chapter to find out about Bella's status after the attack so I squeezed it into this chapter. I hope you liked it better this way.

Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Thanks for reading my story!


	12. Ch 12 Fugly little thing called George

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Many thanks to JCook169 for her awesome beta skills, ideas, and advice you've given throughout this chapter. You rock!

**Chapter 12 Fugly little thing called George**

**EPOV**

Dad called to let us know that Bella was now up and well enough to have visitors. Jasper, Alice and I piled into Mom's car with Aro following behind us in his limo accompanied by Emmett, Rosalie, Alec, and Jane. Mom sped so fast to the hospital that I thought we would crash. I'd never seen Mom drive like a maniac before.

"Esme, ummm Bella isn't going anywhere. You can slow down," Jasper commented to Mom, hesitantly.

"We'll be fine. Just hang on," Mom asserted and stepped on the gas again.

"Mom you're gonna get a ticket."

"I'll just have Charlie get rid of it," Mom snorted and we all shook our heads sighing.

As soon as we were at the entrance of the hospital, Mom flew out of the car with Alice tailing behind her.

"I think I just discovered where Alice gets some of her traits," Jasper commented chuckling.

We sprinted into the building as soon as we found a parking spot and headed to Bella's room where we found Felix guarding the door and Alice standing outside with a pout.

"Mom's in there with the Chief and one of his men. Bella is giving a statement. Dad ordered that only two people can go in to see her at once and only for ten minutes at a time. The officer and Chief Swan want to talk to me again before I see Bella," Alice said pouting.

Mom exited with the officer and Chief Swan. She told me that Bella made a request that she wanted to see me alone first. Jasper looked a little pissed but said that he's gonna go to the shop downstairs and get Bella some magazines while I visit with her. Alice left with Mom, the officer, and Chief Swan for Dad's office so that Alice could give another statement. I assumed that they wanted to talk to her again now that she was in a better condition both physically and mentally.

I felt anger surge through my body when I saw the condition James Bellinger left Bella in when I entered her room. Her face was swollen and all black and blue from the bruises caused by the attack. I sat down beside her bed and took her hand lifting it up to my lips and kissing her knuckles.

"Hey," Bella said smiling a little. Her lips were swollen and it seemed to deter her from smiling.

"Right back at ya," I said winking at Bella causing her to giggle. I loved hearing her melodic giggles. I placed her hand in mine and pressed them to my lips again as it seemed like it was the only part of her body that wasn't wounded.

"I need you to do me a favor but you can't tell anyone except Lone and Emmett. There's a loose floorboard in my bedroom. Underneath it you will find the USB flash drive with the source code of Ugly Duckling in it. I need you guys to get it and store it somewhere safe. That's what I think James came after me for since he stole my backpack with my laptop in it. Even if he cracks my password and gets into my computer, it'll be for nothing because I don't keep any of my source code on the computer. All the important things are in the flash drive," Bella explained to me.

"Why just Jasper, Emmett, and me?"

"Less people know about it, the better and I don't trust anyone else. I'm sorry for asking you to do this. I don't want it in the house. I don't want Dad involved. Once James finds out that the source code isn't in my laptop he'll probably start searching my house so I really need you to do this a.s.a.p. Dad should be heading to the diner so if you guys go now you'll be able to grab it before he comes back." Bella begged me with fear in her eyes for the safety of Chief Swan.

"Bella, maybe it'll be wiser if we notified Chief Swan about this. I'm sure the police want to know the reason why James attacked you."

"I'll tell Dad once you guys secure the flash drive. I promise," Bella said squeezing my hand. I sighed and nodded feeling defeated. It felt like we were obstructing justice. This information was definitely something Chief Swan should know about now and not later.

"So… how are you? I'm so sorry I let this happen to you. If I had gone to pick you up, this wouldn't have happened."

"What happened to me is no one's fault but mine. I was careless and foolish to think that I wasn't in danger since Phil was out of my life. For some reason James Bellinger didn't seem like a real threat to me and that you were all just over reacting. He hadn't done anything to me to think otherwise until now. He looked so scary like he wasn't human. He kept yelling at me that it was my fault and that I should be thankful I get to be with Mom which makes me think he intended to kill me. I hope he doesn't come back to finish me off once he finds out that I'm not dead."

Her words really scared the crap out of me. Would James return to kill Bella? She looked so scared and helpless so I sat on the bed and gently slid my arm underneath her neck and held her close me. "He will never come near you again- I'll make sure of that. None of this is your fault. If he were to blame someone, he should be blaming Phil Dwyer," I said and Bella sighed into my chest.

I heard Jasper yell "Time's up!" outside the door causing Bella to giggle. I kissed her knuckles a final time and then gently brushed my lips against hers. Bella looked surprised so I winked at her whispering into her ears, "I kissed you in LA because I wanted to."

Bella looked dumbstruck. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish repeatedly and couldn't construct a coherent sentence. I smiled and kissed on her lips again softly. "I'll take care of the USB flash drive immediately and I'll let you know how it goes," I said and blew kisses while walking towards the door making Bella blush.

As soon as I was out the door I grabbed Emmett and Jasper. I whispered what Bella asked and announced to everyone we were going to go and get some popsicles and better magazines for Bella. Jane and Aro were also standing outside the door and Jane asked why the three of us needed to go. Rosalie cocked her brow but Emmett pleaded with his eyes so she nodded and shut Jane up by making Jane and Aro enter Bella's room.

When we arrived at Bella's house, I was the first to step out of the car but Jasper grabbed me and pulled me back towards the car. As soon as I was back in the car he stepped on the gas and sped out of their driveway.

"What the fuck? Why are we speeding away from the house?" Emmett shouted at Jasper.

"There was a broken window and I think I saw movement in the house. Call Chief Swan and let him know to send someone to his house." Jasper said and I picked up the phone and called the station. I couldn't speak to Chief Swan directly as he wasn't at the station but one of his men told me that he would alert the Chief and told us to come to the station.

"You think someone was in there?" I asked Jasper as soon as I was off the phone.

"I don't know but right when I was dragging you back into the car I heard rustling by the trees in their back yard like someone was fleeing from the house. I wasn't going to risk our lives to find out. It wouldn't have done anyone any good."

"What about the source code?" Emmett blurted out.

"Bella wouldn't have forgiven herself if we got injured to get the USB flash drive out of the house," Jasper said and I nodded in agreement. Emmett was huffing that he could have taken whoever in the house down without any problem.

"What should we tell Chief Swan? Wouldn't he think it odd that we went to his house?" I asked hoping Jasper could come up with a good strategy to make us not seem suspicious.

"God, you're an idiot. I thought I was the stupid one! You're feeling guilty for the fact that you were going to sneak into the house to get the flash drive so that's why you think we need to make an excuse for swinging by their house. All we need to tell Chief Swan is that Bella wanted a book or something like that from her house so we stopped by to ask Chief Swan for it but he wasn't there and instead we saw the window broken. It's really simple. We're only saying a book instead of the flash drive."

"Huh. Why didn't I think of that?" I wondered and Jasper chuckled. I was impressed with Emmett. I guess I was panicking too much to think rationally.

On the way towards the station two cruisers sped past us towards the Swan house. I was pretty sure Chief Swan was driving one of them but it sped by so fast I couldn't be sure. Emmett suggested to Jasper we follow the cruiser but he told us that we should let them do their job and go to the police station as asked because we'll just end up getting in their way and that would only cause a delay in catching James Bellinger and his accomplice.

When we arrived at the station there were no cruisers parked up front. After we entered through the door we were told that all the officers had gone to the Swan house. The lady at the desk informed us that the Chief expected us to stay put until he returned to the station but while the lady went to fetch us some coffee, Emmett and I convinced Jasper we should return to the Swan's as it was a waste of time to just sit back and wait since there was no one to take our statement. Jasper reluctantly complied and we snuck out of the station and headed to the Swan house

When we returned to the Swan house one of officers stopped us and told us that this was an official crime scene so we couldn't enter past the police tape. I grabbed my phone and called Mom to let her know that someone broke into the Bella's home and from the looks of it whoever did it turned the house upside down. She told me she would have a guest room prepared for the Chief at our house and to let Chief know. As soon as I was done talking to Mom I called Dad and gave the same information to him. He told me to alert everyone to keep this information from Bella as she was in no condition to take this kind of news. This news would definitely devastate her and she would blame herself.

"Well, now we need to think of how we're going to sneak into the house later tonight," Jasper commented in deep thought. He already looked like he was mentally simulating some possible scenarios.

I asked the officer standing guard to let Chief Swan know that we really needed to talk to him right now. The officer nodded and radioed Chief Swan. A distressed looking Chief Swan came out the door and walked towards us.

"I thought I made it real clear for you boys to stay put at the station," Chief Swan growled.

"I just wanted to let you know that Mom has a guest room prepared for you at our place," Chief Swan sighed and nodded.

"Please let Esme know that I'll take up on her offer. I haven't slept for days and my house is now an official crime scene so I wouldn't be able to stay here tonight. Please thank her for her generous offer," Chief Swan said and we said goodbye and headed towards the diner to discuss how to sneak into the house now that it was officially a crime scene.

"I could try sneaking up on whomever that's guarding the door and whack him so he'll go unconscious," Emmett said smirking.

"Emmett! You're an idiot. You'd be arrested and possibly get blamed for the break in if it doesn't work" I snorted and Emmett huffed.

"I have an idea but it involves getting Rosalie involved," Jasper said causing Emmett to cock his brow curiously.

"Let's hear it. It better not involve taking the officer out by force like Emmett's idea," I said and Jasper snorted.

"Well, the officer is really young. If Rose could flirt and convince the officer she needs to get something from Bella's room for her to take to the hospital it might work."

"Hmmm. Flirting along with thesympathy card might actually work. I like that idea."

"I still say whacking him works better," Emmett huffed.

"Shut up and just call Rosalie," I retorted, glaring at Emmett. Emmett huffed and picked up the phone.

"Hey Rosie. Where are ya? …Awesome. Can you come out to the diner?... We have a slight problem on our hands and need your help… All right, all right… See Bella thinks she got attacked because of the source code for her project. She has it saved in a USBflash drive hidden under a loose floorboard by her bed. I'm not sure if Mom told you yet but their house got broken into earlier so there is an officer standing guard and we need you to use your sexy skills to tell him something that will make him feel sorry for Bella and cause him to allow you to get something Bella wants from her room… I know. I'm sorry Rosie but we think this isthe only way we can retrieve the flash drive… Rosie, you don't need to talk to Edward, I gave you all the information you need…Okay, okay, I'll let you speak to Edward," Emmett said and huffed handing me the phone.

"Hi Rose."

"You guys are idiots. I can't believe I'm getting involved in this stupidity. Are you sure the flash drive is still there?"

"That's what we need you to find out. There's still a good chance it's there. If it's still here we need to get it before someone breaks in again to search for it since we seemed to have interrupted. Bella doesn't want Chief Swan involved," I said to Rosalie feeling guilty for bringing Bella up.

"All right. I'll agree to it only because I don't want Chief Swan harmed and Bella has enough to worry about already. Bella would be devastated if something happened to the Chief."

"Thanks, Rose. The Chief plans to spend the night in our guest room so maybe you might want to leave after Chief Swan arrives."

"Well, I'll call you guys when Chief Swan gets here then. See you guys later," Rose said and hung up the phone.

"So? Is Rosalie on board?" Jasper asked.

"Yup! We're good. Rosalie is smart. I'm sure she'll be convincing."

After Emmett finished eating 3 slices of pizzas, 2 burgers, fries, milkshake, and an apple pie, Rosalie finally arrived at the diner. Much to our surprise she wasn't alone. Jasper and I shook our heads and sighed.

"Oh thank God you're here. I thought I'd have to eat another pie so that we wouldn't just be sitting around. And why the hell are you here?" Emmett scowled pointing at Alice.

"I couldn't shake her off. She overheard me talking to you guys."

"I can't believe you guys intended on keeping me in the dark about this," Alice remarked glaring at all of us.

"It was for your safety. Bella didn't want anyone except Jasper, Emmett and I involved. It was bad enough we had to get Rosalie involved. I suggest you go home so that Bella won't be upset," I said to Alice glaring.

"Let me help, please. I couldn't help her from the attacker. This is the least I can do. Please! I wasn't much of a help earlier either when they questioned me. All I remembered was that I smelled perfume from the get away car," Alice said giving me her puppy eyes.

"What kind of smell was it?" I asked.

"I know I've smelled it before. It was like a blend of orange, sandalwood, jasmine and musk I think. Chief Swan is taking me to the mall tomorrow so that I could maybe identify the name of the perfume I smelled."

"You know, Alice already knows. She might as well come with us," Jasper said in defeat. The puppy eyes must've worked on him.

Before we left the diner Rosalie picked up a cherry pie, sandwich, and coffee to go claiming a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Jasper laughed and asked Rosalie if that was how she got Emmett. Rosalie snorted and commented to him that she didn't need food to attract men plus Emmett always had a sack of munchies on him all the time.

We parked our car quite a ways from the Swan's and walked while Rosalie and Alice drove up to the Swan's residence. We hid behind the bushes close enough to hear Rosalie and Alice interact with the officer.

The officer seemed to be really enjoying talking to the girls. I recognized that the officer on guard was the one who came to secure the crime scene while I was waiting for the ambulance to transport Alice to the hospital to arrive.

"I probably should ask Chief Swan if it's all right to let you girls in the house but I don't want to disturb him. He's been working non-stop to find the attacker and hasn't really slept in days. Just make it quick, okay?" I heard the officer say and saw Alice bouncing into the house smiling victoriously. Since we had to walk to the Swan's we had missed what Rosalie and Alice said earlier to the officer that made him come to his decision to let Alice into the house.

"Thank you so much, officer. I'm sure Bella will really appreciate having her stuffed animal and her pillow," Rosalie said and squeezed the officers arm making Emmett growl.

"Shhhhhh," Jasper whispered glaring at Emmett.

I squeezed Em's shoulder and shook my head. Emmett sighed in defeat. I could understand that he didn't like his woman touching the officer but under this circumstance it was necessary.

I heard Emmett gasp when we saw Alice come out of Bella's house. My body started to shake from trying to hold myself from laughing. Alice came out holding Emmett's tattered Curious George stuffed animal.

"What's going on?" Jasper whispered curiously.

"That sorry excuse of a stuffed animal doesn't belong to Bella. It belongs to Emmett."

"Shut the fuck up! That's my Georgie! I've been looking for it for so many years. That evil sister of ours must've stolen it and kept it as her own!" Emmett huffed causing Jasper to chuckle.

"Thank you so much officer. Oh, I almost forgot! Here's a little something for you. You must be hungry," I heard Rosalie say handing the officer the bag of takeout.

"Wow, thanks! I really appreciate it. I was craving for some coffee," the officer commented and we heard Rosalie and Alice thank the officer before they headed into their car.

"Well, let's head back to our car and find out if Alice was able to retrieve the flash drive," I said and we headed back to the car to meet up with Rosalie and Alice.

When we got to our car, we found Alice bawling her eyes out being held up by Rosalie. Rosalie sighed and explained to us that Alice was just overwhelmed with how bad the inside of the Swan's house was. Alice told her that the house was turned upside down especially Bella's room and that even her comforter and pillows were ripped open and feathers were all over the bed and on the floor.

"Bella is going to be devastated. Whoever broke into the house even destroyed many of her Mom's artworks," Alice sobbed clutching Rosalie's shirt.

"We'll fix up the house and try to restore as many things as we can before Bella comes home," I promised, hugging Alice.

"Do you think more than one person broke into their home?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know but if it was done by just one person it would've taken hours. The extent of damage done is extensive."

"Was the flash drive still there?" I asked hesitantly. I felt guilty wanting to get down to business when Alice was all heartbroken after witnessing the Swan's house in shambles but that was what we went there for.

Alice nodded and pulled the USB flash drive out of her hand bag. Before I could grab it, Emmett snatched it from her hand. "I'm going to hold onto this and take it back with me to Seattle. It's probably best that it doesn't stay in Forks."

"Don't take it to the Volturi office though. We can't trust anyone."

"I'm not stupid; of course I won't take it to headquarters. I'm sure Rosie can think of a safe place to hide it," Emmett replied causing Rosalie to nod, grabbing the flash drive out of Emmett's hand and shoving it down her bra chuckling.

"By the way, lil sis, I need my Georgie back!" Emmett glared and Rosalie guffawed.

"Em, you can't have it back. We have to take it to Bella since we told the officer Bella wanted her stuffed animal," Rosalie explained chuckling.

"Just tell Boo-boo bear I want it back then," Emmett said frowning.

It was getting late and we were all exhausted so we quickly got back into our cars and sped home. We tried to be sneaky but got caught by Mom and Dad waiting up for us in the living room. Their brows furrowed when they saw all of us come in together. Dad cocked his brow and asked where we all were.

"Sorry, we all just needed to chill out a bit. It was a long day," Emmett explained.

"Don't ever ignore our calls. We were worried that something happened to you kids. I even thought of waking Charlie up to report you missing," Mom declared looking a little angry but more worried.

"Sorry," we all said in unison.

"Get some sleep kids. We're leaving for the hospital bright and early so that Bella doesn't feel lonely," Mom said and we kissed them goodnight and retired to our rooms.

**BPOV**

"Morning, Bells," Dad said smiling as he walked into the room.

"Dad! What happened? You look worse than you did yesterday. I thought I told you to get some sleep!"

"Something came up and I had a lot to deal with. Don't worry, Bells. I'm fine." Dad affirmed as he handed me a little container of soup.

"This looks homemade," I commented while opening the container.

"Esme made it for you."

"You stopped by the Cullens' this morning?"

"Errr. I stayed in their guestroom last night."

"Huh? Why?" I asked causing Dad to sigh at my question. "I can tell you're hiding something from me. What's wrong?" I was determined to find out what was going on. Dad looked like he was contemplating on what to tell me.

"Dad, just spill it. We're family. You shouldn't have to hide anything from me." Dad opened his mouth and closed it several times. "Dad!" He was starting to get on my nerves. I hated being kept in the dark.

"Bells, our house got broken in while I was out yesterday. It looked like whoever broke in was looking for something. It didn't look like a simple burglary." Dad finally explained to me with worry in his eyes.

Tears started to fall down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Dad. It's my fault. You could've been hurt if you were home," I choked out the words.

"Bella, none of this is your fault. I need your help though. Your room was ransacked the worst. I need you to think what you had in the house that they wanted."

"They? You know if more than one person was involved?"

"The magnitude of damage done couldn't be inflicted by just one person. We don't own anything valuable, but as far as I could tell nothing was taken except DVDs and music CDs. I can't understand why anyone would take DVDs and music CDs. Did you have anything in your room that was worth so much that they'd turn your room upside down? Bella, you have to tell me. This could've have happened when you were home. You could've been in worse condition than you are in now."

Now it was my turn to think what I should tell Dad but I wasn't sure if Edward and the guys were able to retrieve the USB flash drive before the burglars broke in. I could only assume the house was broken into by James and whoever helped him escape since they took DVDs and CDs thinking of the possibility I hid the source code data on them. "I don't own anything valuable, Dad. The most expensive thing I owned, which was my laptop, was already stolen by James." Dad sighed and nodded in understanding. I felt bad for lying but I wasn't sure if Edward and the guys snuck into the house before the break in so I had no idea of the status of the USB flash drive.

"Bells, I can't stay long. I wish I could but I have to go back to the house. Jot down the things you can remember that was in your room. I'll come and pick up the list in the afternoon so that I can check what else is missing. I love you, Bells. None of this is your fault. Just concentrate on getting better and I'll take care of the rest," Dad said and kissed my forehead before heading out the door.

Waterworks started as soon as Dad left the room. I felt horrible. From the moment I stepped back into Dad's life I have caused nothing but trouble. Up until then he led a relatively peaceful life despite his occupation and since this was Forks nothing really violent happened except for wild animal attacks and car accidents. Catching a huge fish was probably the most exciting thing that had happened to him thus far. Since the phone call I made to him in Seattle, his life turned upside down. He constantly worried and it looked like he was about to have permanent black circles around his eyes. I wasn't worth all the trouble.

As I was contemplating what I could do to free Charlie from his obligations, Carlisle came into the room smiling.

"Good morning, Bella. How are you…" he stopped mid sentence when he noticed that I was crying. "Bella, are you all right? Are you in pain?" Carlisle asked and immediately started to check me over.

I lifted my good hand up and stopped him. "I'm fine. Dad was here and I heard about the break in. Carlisle, do you know how long it would take for a minor to be emancipated?"

Carlisle sighed frowning. "Bella, are you feeling guilty about the break in? It's not your fault that the house got broken in. Charlie loves you and would be devastated if he hears that you are even considering emancipation. He's so happy to have you back in his life. So are all of us. We'd all feel crushed if you left because we love you. We'll get through this together. Don't ever think that leaving us would make things better because it won't. We need you more than you think," Carlisle said while wrapping his arm around my shoulder kissing me on my head.

I sniffled and nodded. I felt a little better after hearing Carlisle assure me that I wasn't a burden but I was still worried that Dad could still be in danger. "I'm worried that James Bellinger might hurt Dad."

"Bella, Charlie can take care of himself. You don't have to worry about him. I'm sure he's extra careful now because of the break in. Stop thinking about the 'what if's. It will only drive you up the wall."

I chewed on my lips listening to Carlisle. Logically I understood what he was saying but I just couldn't stop imagining James attacking Dad in the house. "I feel horrible that because of me the only place Dad probably felt comfortable was violated. If I didn't step back into his life he could be watching sports**,** sipping beer and relaxing on his recliner in peace right now rather than running around looking for the people who attacked me and broke into our home."

"Bella, I know that nothing I say will comfort you right now but trust me when I say that he'd happily take everything that is happening right now if that meant he has you in his life. That house means nothing to him if you aren't there with him. Which brings me to something I've been meaning to ask if you'd consider moving in to our house with Charlie until you're out of the wheelchair?" Carlisle asked causing me to gasp. I hadn't even considered I'd have to be in a wheelchair until I was out of my arm cast.

"Ah, I know that look. You probably didn't think you'd be in a wheelchair did you?" Carlisle said chuckling. I frowned nodding.

"We have a guest room with an en-suite bathroom on the first floor. You'd be able to access the kitchen and living room in the wheelchair too. How about it Bella? You're going to need someone to help you bathe and get dressed for a while and I don't think you'd want your Dad assisting you, do you?"

I grimaced at the thought of having Dad help me with all that. I wanted to leave the hospital as soon as I could but that thought just flew out the door as soon as reality dawned on me. "I don't know if Dad would agree. I'll do whatever that's easiest on him but I'm sure he wouldn't want to burden your family with my problems."

"Bella, you're not listening. We all love you and would love to have you and Charlie as our houseguests however long you two want. I can only imagine how thrilled Alice and Esme would be," Carlisle said smiling. When I looked in his eyes I saw that he meant what he was saying.

"I'd like that but I still don't know what Dad will want to."

"I'll talk to Charlie. I'm sure he'd agree to whatever you want."

"Well, I should go and finish my rounds. Visiting hours are almost starting so I'm sure my family will be storming in here soon. If it gets too much kick them out, okay?" Carlisle chuckled and kissed me on my forehead before leaving the room.

Right after the nurse came to give me some pills to take, Lone, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Edward came into the room smiling holding balloons, magazines, a throw, and a fugly sorry excuse of a stuffed animal.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at Emmett holding the fugly tattered thing grinning. "Boo-boo bear, I brought you my favorite stuffed animal!" He boomed.

I cocked my brow and asked "why would I want that fugly old thing?"

"This is the reason we were able to get what you wanted out of the house," Emmett said proudly pushing the nasty old thing at me. I immediately looked at Edward and he smiled nodding.

"I have to apologize first. I know you told me that I was only supposed to tell Emmett and Jasper but there were some complications and we needed to involve Rose and then Alice just sort of found out," Edward explained but he seemed like he was choosing his words really carefully. He probably thought that I still didn't know about the break in. I thought I'd tease them a little since I was so bored stuck in the hospital and it was sort of a payback for them trying to keep me in the dark too.

"Oh no. What kind of complications?" I asked acting as if I was shocked.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Duckling," Lone jumped in and answered instead of Edward.

I frowned and looked at Edward with my puppy eyes. "Why won't you all tell me and why is Emmett putting that nasty stuffed animal on my bedside table?"

"Because right now all you need to worry about is getting better. This nasty old thing is Emmett's favorite stuffed animal and he wants you to keep it so you won't feel lonely. Emmett would feel crushed if you won't keep it with you," Rosalie said trying to end my inquisition.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at Alice. Her eyes widened and looked away. I did the same to Emmett and he started arranging the balloons whistling. They were horrible liars and my body started to shake from holding my laughter in.

"Stop it, all of you. Laughing makes my ribs hurt."

"Duckling, why are you laughing anyway? I don't remember anyone saying anything remotely funny." Lone said with a worried look like I lost my mind or something.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was just teasing. Dad came by this morning. He looked horrible and he fessed up that the house got broken into. What I don't know is how you all pulled it off. Did you guys get it before the break in?" I started to panic thinking that they could've gotten hurt.

"Long story short**,** Alice and I decided to say you wanted a stuffed animal from home since you were lonely at the hospital. Just in case you didn't own a stuffed animal or didn't want any hospital cooties on it, Alice packed that tattered old thing in her purse. We were able to convince the officer so Alice went into your room and got the USB drive out and carried the stuffed animal in her arms when she stepped out of your house."

"Quit picking on my Georgie!" Emmett pouted.

"Bella, that was mean acting like you didn't know about the break in just to see our reaction!" Alice pounced on my bed and started to tickle me.

"Alice, get off Bella's bed. She's gonna pull out her stitches!" Edward shouted and Emmett pulled Alice off the bed.

"Hey, I wasn't gonna hurt her!" Alice pouted.

"Stop making me laugh, it hurts," I winced rubbing my side.

"Duckling, you seem paler than before," Jasper observed and I saw Edward pushing the call button.

Less than a minute later Carlisle came running into my room out of breath. "What's happening? Bella, are you okay?"

"It wasn't me. Edward pushed the button."

"Edward?"

"She looked paler than she did few minutes ago. She's been rubbing her side after laughing a little too hard."

"All right, kids, step out of the room so I can check on Bella," Carlisle ordered and corralled them out the door. After poking and prodding me for several minutes, Carlisle told me that I had enough excitement for the day and was now running a fever. He was sending everyone home and told me I could only see Dad and Esme for the remainder of the day.

"I'm not done with visiting with them. I still have to talk to them about something," I begged Carlisle with my puppy eyes pouting.

"You need to rest. Maybe, just maybe**,** they can come back and visit later depending on your fever. If it goes down by the evening I'll allow them to come see you for a little bit. How does that sound?" Carlisle said in defeat.

I smiled really wide and thanked him for taking good care of me. Right as Carlisle opened the door they all popped their head in and waved at me while Carlisle pushed them away from the door chuckling.

**A/N**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Edward finally revealed to Bella that he remembered the kiss.

The plot thickens and I'm planning to throw the accomplice's POV in next chapter. I hope you'll like it!

The romance is progressing in a snail's pace but that's just how the relationship between Bella and Edward in this story is going to be for at least a few more weeks in the story. Hang in there!

Please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13 While you were sleeping

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to JCook169 for turning this story around so quickly despite your extremely packed schedule. I really appreciate it.

It's so much fun working on this story with you!

**Chapter 13 While you were sleeping**

**Getaway car driver's POV**

Alice showing up when James was attacking Bella worked both in our favor and against us as the police were now in search for James as the prime suspect, however, now that Alice saw that James wasn't acting alone I needed to be extra careful so that I wouldn't be dragged down with them.

After I had Laurent hack into Bella's computer, much to our disappointment, we found Bella didn't keep any of the source code on the hard drive. I made a call to our contact inside Volturi Games and found out exactly when Charles Swan was away from home so that we could search for the source code in their house. I sent Victoria to keep an eye on Swan so that we could slip out of their house before he returned. Even if Victoria was seen by Swan, she was here as part of the Volturi legal team so he wouldn't think twice about seeing her at the diner.

The three of us turned the house upside down and grabbed any medium which could store the source code. We had James lay low until this point so that their guards would be down. I was sure Bella wouldn't really go the whole nine yards to hide the source code but she seemed more cautious than I expected. She probably learned her lesson after Phil Dwyer stole the game document.

After spending hours going through the DVDs and the CDs we took from the Swan's home we learned that none of them contained the source code of Bella's project. We now had no clue where the source code was. It could be with Edward, Jasper, or even at the Volturi headquarters. To locate it was going to be tricky and unfortunately I needed to sacrifice Victoria to get that information.

Victoria wasn't very intelligent so I really didn't have high hopes for her obtaining the information but it was worth a try. I instructed Victoria to go to the hospital and attempt to visit with Bella Swan to try getting the information out of her. It was by far a long shot but at the moment we had no other viable option. If this failed I would have to count on my inside contact at Volturi to try to locate the source code.

Victoria didn't hesitate at all when I asked her to go and see Bella Swan. She was so in love with James that she was willing to do anything for him. She was sure that she could charm Edward to get her into Bella's hospital room and talk to her. The only thing I was concerned with about Victoria was that she had a temper. If worse came to worst she was disposable and James felt that way too, so if she failed we were willing to throw her to the sharks. We would sacrifice her as the accomplice to James and have her take the fall. At the moment I was sure that the police didn't know how many of us were involved.

Victoria was all smiles and confident when she left our hideout to go visit Bella. Originally James wanted to kidnap Bella for ransom, but I offered him enough money as an incentive not to. The possibility of kidnapping Bella and getting away with it was close to none. It would totally ruin my plan of obtaining the source code and stop the release of Ugly Duckling. Once James was caught there was no guarantee he wouldn't strike a deal with the District Attorney by giving out names of all of us involved to lessen the sentence. There was no way I would let him drag me down with him. Once I had the source code in my hands and made sure Bella was traumatized enough to lose her interest in finishing Ugly Duckling, we all were in agreement to dispose of James. He would become a liability and there was no telling what he would do after he received payment from us.

Now it was a waiting game to find out how much Victoria could squeeze out of Bella Swan. I just hoped Edward was horny enough to fall for Victoria's seduction. From my contact at Volturi, I learned he hadn't dated anyone since he left Seattle for Forks so timing wise there was a great possibility Victoria could be tantalizing enough to lure him into agreeing that in exchange for getting into her pants he would grant her wish of seeing Bella.

**EPOV**

Emmett, Rosalie, Aro, and Jane were heading back to Seattle this afternoon, however, Rose and Emmett said they'd drop by and see Bella before they left. When I got out of the elevator to drop off the soup Mom made for Bella's breakfast, I heard arguing coming from the end of the hallway where her room was located. I dashed towards the direction where the voices were coming from and found Victoria arguing with Felix.

"Why won't you let me in to see her? I just want to say 'Hi,' and wish her well!" I heard Victoria shouting at Felix.

"You're not on the list of people allowed into her room. You're going to have to talk to Chief Swan to get clearance," Felix answered looking perplexed.

"What's the problem?" I asked approaching them.

"Thank God! Edward! This imbecile won't let me see Bella!"

"Victoria, you're being unreasonable. Only her father, my family, Rosalie, and Jasper are allowed to see her. You're no exception."

"I just want to wish her my best. That's all. How bad could that be?" Victoria's demeanor changed and was now batting her eyelashes at me. "Please, Edward. We're leaving today. I just want to see her and wish her a speedy recovery. I know you all care about her and so do I," Victoria said pouting while leaning her head into my chest.

"I'm sorry, Victoria. It's not my call. You'll need to talk to Chief Swan."

"Can't you call him for me?" She said batting her eyelashes at me again and then whispered into my ears. "Maybe after I see her, you and I can go somewhere private and have a little special moment together," she said winking and licking her lips.

I felt chills run down my spine. I couldn't believe I found her even remotely sexy before Bella came into my life. I shivered and shook my head while pushing her away from my body. "If you really want to see her that badly you need to talk to Chief Swan yourself. I have no interest in having anything to do with you unless it is work related."

"You don't mean that. Come on, Edward. I know you want to. When's the last time you got any action down there?" She eyed my crotch licking her lips again while trying to wrap her arm around my waist. I tasted bile coming up my throat and felt like gagging.

I shifted my body away from her shaking my head. When I glanced at Felix, he looked utterly disgusted. "I mean it, Victoria. Stop embarrassing yourself. You need to go."

"Damn it, Edward! Why are you acting like this?" Victoria said raising her voice.

"Stop yelling. This is a hospital. There are lots of very sick people here who don't want to be bothered. Bella doesn't even really know you andshe's just not in a condition to meet people she's not comfortable with. I suggest you leave before security drags you out for the disturbance you're causing."

"What's all this fuss anyway? It's not like she's dying, right?" Victoria spat out.

"Well, if you don't think it's a big deal then I don't understand why you seem so desperate to see her. Go down and get a fucking "Get Well Soon" card. I'll make sure that Bella receives it." I shouted at her. She was really getting on my nerves.

Victoria's face distorted from rage. She pushed me and tried to force her way into Bella's room but Felix blocked her with his body. "I'm going to ask again. Please leave or I will be forced to restrain you and hand you over to the hospital's security," Felix said before Victoria could get another word in.

"You'll pay for this!" Victoria spat out pointing at us before storming away.

"Damn! I don't know what's gotten into her. I should probably inform Aro what just happened," I said to Felix feeling a little freaked out from Victoria acting so irrational.

"I'm sure the security camera we installed right there caught everything on tape and I've also recorded the conversation from the moment she started arguing with me. I'll alert Alec and have him deliver the recordings to Mr. Volturi," Felix said while pulling out his phone.

"Thanks, I'm just going to make a quick call before I go in and see Bella," I said before leaving to step out of the hospital. I just needed a moment to gather myself after the incident with Victoria. I just couldn't understand whatshe was hoping to accomplish. She was never really the thoughtful and caring type so there was no way she wanted to see Bella just to wish her well. There had to be a reason why she acted the way she did and I was determined to find out.

I grabbed a cup of coffee from the vending machine before I stepped out of the hospital and sat in my car. As soon as I felt calmer I picked up my phone and called Aro. I explained to him what just happened and told him that Alec would be delivering the tapes to show what happened. I also asked Aro to make sure Victoria left with the others from the legal team so that there was no repeat of what just happened.

Aro seemed incredibly aggravated at Victoria and assured me that he would personally see to it that Victoria was dealt with and that he would remove her from Bella's case. He even went as far as promising me that he'd have his lawyers take a look at the evidence and consider moving her to another division or preferably firing her. From his tone of voice he seemed like he was going to make good on his promise.

As soon as I finished calling Aro, I went to see Dad so that I could also update him on the situation and ask him for access to the lounge so that I could reheat Bella's soup. After all that happened I totally forgot that I was here to deliver the soup.

"Hey, Dad." I said stepping into his office.

"Hello, Son. You look a little worn out. Bad morning?" Dad observed tilting his head at me quizzically.

After explaining to him the morning's events and the assurance I got from Aro that he would make sure Victoria leaves Forks, he frowned deep in thought. I didn't want to interrupt him as he raised his finger and picked up the phone signaling to me to hold my thought when I was about to ask what was going through his head.

"Hello, this is Carlisle Cullen calling. I'd like to speak to head of security please…Hello, Arthur**,** I'm sorry to bother you but I am sure by now you're aware of the disturbance that occurred in front of Ms. Bella Swan's room… Oh, Alec already had you make a copy? Well, I'm going to need a copy as well. I'll also need you to find someone to deliver the tape to Chief Swan at the station. Okay. Thank you, I really appreciate it. Have a good day, Arthur," Dad said and hung up the phone. Before I could get a word in, he dialed another number.

"Good morning Charlie. I need to inform you about something that needs immediate attention. Edward informed me that Victoria, one of the staff from Volturi Games, created a disturbance demanding to see Bella. Edward and Felix stopped her and she's gone now but something isn't adding up. I've known Victoria for years and she's never acted the way she did this morning. Just as a precaution I would like your approval of moving Bella to another room. Aro assured Edward that Victoria will be escorted out of Forks but I would rather take all precautions to avoid taking any unnecessary risks… Yes, the confrontation was captured on tape. Someone from hospital security will be delivering the tape to you.… No problem Charlie. We can take care of moving her without you. I'll give you a call as soon as we've transferred her to another room. See you later," Dad said before hanging up the phone. He raised his finger again to stop me from talking and made another call requesting Bella's transfer. As soon as he ended the call he sighed, and finally looked at me.

"Bad morning?" I quipped trying to lighten the atmosphere. Dad chuckled and shook his head.

"Bella just can't keep out of harm's way, can she? I feel sorry for Charlie as he's bound to have a stroke one of these days," Dad sighed loudly and held his head in his hands.

"You probably have a lot on your hands with room change so I will get out of your hair. Can you first let me into the doctor's lounge so that I could reheat Bella's soup? I don't think she's going to be happy with this lukewarm meal anymore," I said pointing to the bag that held the soup.

"Just hand me the bag. I'll have someone heat and deliver it to Bella's room. Just go and see her since she's probably wondering where you are. Don't tell her about the room change yet. I'll explain to her later after I concoct an elaborate excuse to avoid scaring her."

"You know, I'm sure she'd prefer the truth."

"When you have your own children you'll understand why we want to sometimes shield them from the ugliness of reality. We're not going to lie to Bella, we're just going to omit the details that led to the decision of transferring her. I just need you to keep your mouth shut unless she asks. I don't want you to lie, but unless she asks, don't mention anything."

I wasn't really happy with Dad's request but I nodded. I wished him a good day and left to go see Bella.

"Hey! I was wondering when you were coming to see me. I heard your voice, along with Felix's, and a woman's earlier but you didn't come in. What was all that yelling for? I only heard raised voices but couldn't really make out what was being said."

"I'm not sure if you remember Victoria from the legal team but she was just outside asking Felix to let her see you."

"Victoria?" Bella asked tilting her head.

"You know tall, leggy, wavy fire red hair? She was all over me at the Volturi party at E3."

"Oh! Her! Why would she want to see me anyway?"

"Beats me. You guys barely know each other."

"Eh. She probably wanted to earn brownie points by being nice to me so that you'd ask her out or something," Bella's cheeks puffed and her brows furrowed.

"The only time she'll ever get to be on a date with me would be in her dreams," I said before kissing her cheek causing her to blush.

"Ummm, was Esme too busy to make something for me today?"

"Someone's bringing it later. It got cold so it's being reheated as we speak. Mom made you minestrone soup."

"Mmmmm," Bella hummed rubbing her stomach with her good hand.

Shortly after I set half my ass on the side of Bella's bed Dad's secretary came in with the bag of soup smiling. She handed the soup to me and clucked me seeing I was sitting on Bella's bed. She chuckled and wished us a good day and left winking at me. I opened the container of soup, grabbed the spoon, and proceeded to spoon feed Bella.

"Hey! I'm not that helpless. I can hold a spoon with my good hand you know," Bella pouted.

"I know. I just want to do this," I said winking, causing her to blush. She had more color in her skin today and looked to be doing much better this morning. I was a little worried last night when dad mentioned that she was running a slight temperature.

When Bella was almost done with the soup there was a knock on the door before Alice entered. "Morning, Bella. Feeling better today?"

"Wow! You're early. What's up?"

"I'm supposed to meet your dad this morning. He's going to take me to the mall."

"What? You're going shopping with my dad?" Bella looked puzzled.

"I wish. Maybe the Forks police department could dip into their wallet and buy me a bottle of perfume," Alice grinned.

"Dream on, Alice," I said earning a snort from her.

"I'm going to the mall with your dad to try to pin point the brand of perfume I smelled from the get-away car."

"Smell of perfume?" Bella asked.

"I recalled later that when the door to the SUV swung open I smelled perfume. It's possible that the person driving the get-away car was a woman or there was a woman in the car."

"Speaking of perfume, that Victoria woman must bathe in perfume or something. When you entered my room I was hit with the awful stench of whatever perfume she was wearing," Bella complained scrunching her nose.

"Victoria?" Alice asked.

"You know, the red head that was clinging on to Edward at the party in LA," Bella explained.

"Oh that skank! I remember now. What the hell was she doing here?" Alice asked.

"I guess she was here with the other two from the legal team. Only Aro and Jane stayed with us and the rest stayed at the bed and breakfast so I guess that's why we never saw Victoria until today," I explained to Alice.

"They're all leaving today, right?" I nodded affirmatively. "Good riddance. I hope Uncle Aro leaves a little something for me though," Alice stated wistfully in her own world. I was sure she was imagining what she could buy with the cash Uncle Aro would leave her. He always gave her a little monetary gift whenever he saw her. He was never as nice to Emmett and me though. Alice was good at charming people into giving her things.

The soup in her stomach made Bella sleepy so we excused ourselves from her room and promised her we would be back later so that she could rest. She didn't argue so she must've been really tired. She wasn't well enough to have visitors for an extended period of time yet. We let Felix know that Alice and I were going to be in the cafeteria and requested he inform Chief Swan when he comes looking for Alice.

"You know, you still have a faint smell of whatever perfume that Victoria was wearing on you. Did you hug her or something?" Alice mentioned. I sniffed myself but couldn't smell anything.

"Just out of curiosity is the smell you say that's lingering on me the same you smelled from the getaway car?" I asked. Alice sniffed me but shook her head.

"I wish it was but unfortunately whatever Victoria was wearing smells entirely different. Hers smells sweeter and more floral." Alice answered sighing.

We were almost done with our cup of coffee when Chief Swan arrived to pick Alice up. He had dropped by Bella's room but found her still asleep so he told me that he'll stop back later when he and Alice are through at the mall.

I returned to Bella's room after the Chief and Alice left. Bella was still asleep so I sat in the chair beside her bed. A few strands of her hair had fallen on her face so I gently tucked them behind her ear to allow me to see her beautiful face without obstruction. She sighed lightly and smiled causing me to wonder what she was dreaming about. Despite her injuries and the destruction in her home she still looked peaceful and I felt in awe of her strength.

I noticed that the swelling around her eyes and her lips had gone down slightly. It pained me to see her beautiful face all bruised and cut. I just couldn't understand how anyone, even James, could attack her in such a brutal manner. Bella was the sweetest, most innocent person I've ever met. She was beautiful both inside and out and I no longer wanted to keep the feelings I have for her bottled inside, but I also didn't want to share them with her while she was still hospitalized. I didn't want the moment I tell her how I feel be tainted with memories of white walls and the awful hospital stench. Knowing Bella, she probably wouldn't care about such mundane details but I just want the moment to be as perfect as she deserves.

If her recovery runs smoothly, her birthday would arrive a few days after she would be discharged from the hospital. Alice told me that she overheard Dad and Mom talking about bringing Bella home with us until she was mobile on crutches. That meant she would be celebrating her birthday at our house. Both Mom and Alice would go crazy over planning her birthday, but it also meant she would be near me day and night for several weeks, so I wasn't going to complain. I had no idea how long Chief Swan would also be our guest but I reckoned he would go home as soon as the house was back in order. He didn't seem like the type who felt comfortable outside his home.

I held her hand and gently rubbed my thumb over it. Her delicate hand was so warm and soft and fit perfectly in my hand. I felt very protective of her so I never wanted to feel as helpless as I did when she was in surgery. I was determined to make every moment I spend with her special and not take anything for granted. I've never lost anyone close to me unexpectedly but I'm sure Bella never expected to lose her mother so suddenly either. The loss of her mother seemed like it caused Bella to give up on life in some ways but I wanted to change that. I wanted to become someone she would want to hold on to and I wanted to show her that she had a bright future ahead of her. I needed her to realize that no matter how bad things got I would be there for her.

"You are so precious to me, do you know that?" I whispered,"You really scared me when I saw you unconscious, bleeding from the attack. I thought I was going to lose you**; **please don't ever make me feel like that again. I really need you. I never imagined finding someone I'd be drawn to so strongly. I guess I have Jasper to thank. If he hadn't been the kind of person he is, you probably wouldn't have gone to him for help. I can vouch that he's a great guy and I'm glad you have him as a friend. But I hope you'll realize that I care about you just as much as he does, probably even more than he does in some ways. You have a special place in my heart that no one ever claimed. I'll be happy with whatever capacity you need. Of course I want it all; I want you with me all the time but I know you are someone who's going to achieve many great things and I don't want to get in your way, but I'll promise you that I'll do whatever I can to help you become that person. I care about you, Bella. More than you could possibly know. I know it's too early to say this but I know that I love you. I don't want to freak you out so I won't tell you yet, but I'm no longer going to be afraid to show you my feelings. Life is too short and I don't want to miss out on all the special moments we can have together," I finishedkissing her hand.

Bella shifted her head into her pillow and I noticed that both her cheek and ear was turning red. I also noticed that the corner of her lips turned up. I cocked my brow and poked her cheek gently prompting her to giggle.

"Since when were you awake?" I cleared my throat and asked.

"Well I thought I was dreaming when I heard this gentle voice somewhere far away uttering these really sweet sentiments to me and when I concentrated I realized that I was no longer dreaming," Bella admitted peeking at me through her eyelashes.

"How much did you hear?" I asked, blushing.

"I heard enough to make me feel warm inside. Umm, did you really mean what you said?" Bella asked looking into my eyes while chewing on her lips. I nodded feeling embarrassed from blurting my feelings to her thinking she was asleep.

Bella smiled so brightly I felt like holding her really tight in my arms but regrettably I couldn't because of all the machines she was hooked up to. This was why I wanted to wait to tell her until she was discharged from the hospital but my stupid ass-self had to run my mouth off and profess my undying love to her when god knows how much she really heard. I felt like I really screwed any chance I may have had with her.

"I wish I could hold you in my arms and kiss you right now but it's kind of tough when you aren't really mobile."

"Well then I guess you have to tell me all over again when I'm out of the hospital," Bella winked squeezing my hand gently. I felt giddy inside and right as I was about to kiss her there was a knock on the door and Rosalie and Emmett popped their head inside.

"Wassup kids!" Emmett's voice boomed in the room.

"Ssshhh." Rosalie hissed slapping the back of his head.

"Ow! Cut it out Rosie. I wasn't that loud." Bella laughed and waved them in.

Emmett and Rose came in so I got off Bella's bed but as soon as I stood Emmett took my position earning another slap from Rosalie. "Shoo! Get off her bed. You're not slim like Edward. You're taking too much space," Rosalie said pulling his arm to force him off the bed only to replace his body with hers on Bella's bed.

"We have to go back to Seattle today but I promise we'll be back for your party, okay?" Rosalie promised holding Bella's hand.

"Party? What party?" Bella looked surprised.

"Your birthday party, silly," Rosalie answered smiling.

"My birthday party?" Bella repeated narrowing her eyes.

"Uh-oh," Rosalie groaned looking guilty. I scowled shaking my head.

"Damn, Rosie. You spilled the beans. I guess Mom was planning to surprise Bella."

"Did you know too?" Bella asked narrowing her eyes.

"I didn't but I expected as much," I answered truthfully causing Bella to sigh.

"I'm going to be burdening your family with my staying at your house. A birthday party is too much unnecessary bother."

"Boo-boo bear, just humor Mom. She's probably really excited to throw you a birthday party. Plus I want to eat some of Mom's amazing party food. Do it for me, please!" Emmett begged causing Bella to giggle.

"Grrr, Okay. I'll act surprised for her as long as I'm not forced to wear anything uncomfortable. Better pass my condition onto Alice," Bella said laughing.

"Thanks, Boo-boo bear. Well Rosie and I'd better get going so we can finish packing. See you real soon," Emmett said and kissed Bella's cheek. Rosalie leaned her head on Bella's and whispered something into her ear causing Bella to blush.

Right as Emmett and Rosalie were leaving Bella's room, Dad came in and told me that he wanted me back at the house as Aro wanted to see me before he left. I told Bella that I'll be back later and left her room with Emmett and Rosalie.

A/N

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm working on the next chapter right now and currently plan on releasing Bella from the hospital so that I could work on developing Edward and Bella's relationship. Hang in there I'll squeeze a little fluffy sweetness between the two of them in the next chapter. Please leave a review and let us know your thoughts on this chapter. Thank you!


	14. Chapter 14 Finger Lickin' Good

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer**

I only own the plot of this story.

Thank you Jcook169 for your super beta skills and helping me through this chapter!

**Chapter 14 Finger Lickin' Good!**

**EPOV**

Before we got into our cars Dad explained to us that Aro decided it was best to keep the meeting just among family with all that was happening and not knowing who we could trust.

Mom and Aro were so deep in conversation they didn't even notice us march into the living room. "Hey, Mom!" Emmett called out taking her by surprise.

"Oh great, you're all back. How was Bella?"

"She's doing better today. Her temperature is back to normal," Dad answered kissing Mom and settling down beside her on the couch.

"I need to leave for Seattle so I don't have much time but there are some issues we need to discuss in regards to Bella and the Ugly Duckling project," Aro said with a serious look. "I have carefully considered all options available to come up with one that would not only benefit Volturi Games but also protect Bella's welfare. Her father came to me and asked to nullify the contract for the Ugly Duckling project. I told him I needed some time to think about it. I don't believe that nullifying the contract would benefit either parties. Bella won't be able to afford college and Volturi Games would be losing a great revenue opportunity. So I came up with this option. Instead of releasing Ugly Duckling, I'd like Volturi Games and Bella to work on completing the game engine first. Once the engine is done we will license it out to a few publishers we select and then after their game is released along with ours then we will offer the engine to anyone interested."

"Wouldn't it benefit us more if we released Ugly Duckling or any other game we create based on Bella's game engine before we licensed the engine?" Emmett asked looking puzzled. From the sales team point of view, this would definitely put a damper on the sales figure if our games didn't turn out better than the other publishers'.

"I have considered that and have discussed it at depth with my brothers, Esme, and Carlisle. I believe we can all agree that Bella's safety comes first. It wouldn't do any good to Volturi Games' reputation if Bella was harmed either. My guess is that Bella's attackers are interested in the game engine and not the Ugly Duckling project itself. By having several games out in the market not only from us but from other companies there would be no point in them going after Bella anymore since the engine is available to anyone interested in licensing it once the games are released. Once we announce to the public that the engine is available, Bella's welfare should no longer be a worry."

We were all dumbstruck by Aro's explanation as he was never the caring type. He was willing to sacrifice the sales to protect Bella but he was able to come up with a plan to compensate the revenue loss by licensing the game engine. It was a brilliant idea as it would keep Bella happy since she could still be involved in the development process and it really might cause James and his accomplice to lose interest in further attacking her.

"Aro, I think your idea is fantastic. I'm sure with that plan we should be able to convince Charlie to reconsider pulling Bella off the project," Dad said nodding looking impressed.

"Now I'm going to need you and Esme to help me convince Charlie to send Bella to Seattle as soon as she's fairly mobile. From what I expect it will take her about 3 months to fully recover but we can't wait that long so once her arm cast comes off I'd like to have her work from Seattle. Since we still need to protect her until the game engine is released, I'm planning on setting up an office outside of the headquarters where Edward, Jasper, and Bella could work out of. I'll fund this privately so that no one aside from our family would know about this location and project. I will hire a whole new set of people to work on this project so that I can be sure they are clean. Unless the game engine becomes available to others Bella will never be safe and live a normal life.

"Oh, Aro… It's going to break Charlie's heart. He was so happy that Bella decided to stay in Forks until the spring semester starts. I'm not sure if I even want to try to convince him," Mom said.

"Mom, I agree that Aro's suggestion is the only way to really protect Bella. Chief Swan can't keep her locked up in the house. Knowing Bella if he does that she'll just go off on her own as soon as she turns eighteen and that's just around the corner. I can understand that it will be hard for him to let her go and live on her own in Seattle but maybe if you tell her that Alice would be living with Bella he might be more accepting of the situation. I think by you two letting Alice go as well might help that he's not the only one letting his daughter leave the nest," Emmett explained to Mom.

Mom and Dad both looked taken off guard. Dad crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He looked like he was deep in thought whileMom sighed looking like she understood what needed to be done. When Dad opened his eyes I saw sadness in them. I don't think he was ready to part with Alice yet. She was the apple of his eye.

"I'm sure you all need some time to digest what I just said so I'll leave you all to it. I must head back to Seattle but know this- I will fund housing and all expenses for Bella and Alice, should you decide to go with Emmett's suggestion of having Alice live with Bella. Please let me know soon as I'll need to start recruiting people for the project," Aro said getting up from the couch. He hugged all of us and we bid him goodbye walking him out the door. Subsequently, my parents went to their room, and Emmett and Rosalie went to gather their luggage to load into their car to head back to Seattle.

After Emmett and Rosalie left, my parents and I headed back to the hospital as Chief Swan was dropping Alice off there and we also wanted to settle Bella into her new room.

"What reason are you going to give Bella for her relocation?"

"I'm just going to tell her that we need that room for another patient and that we're moving her into a suite equipped with wireless internet access. I don't think she'll complain," Dad chuckled.

"Wow, that's definitely a step up and one she'llsurely appreciate but we'll need to get her a new laptop since hers was stolen by James."

"It's taken care of. Aro instructed Jasper to go and purchase her a laptop. He drove to Seattle so that he could pick it up today," Dad explained.

"Oh, so that's why I haven't seen Jasper today. I was wondering why he hadn't shown up at the hospital."

"It was great timing as he needed to drive to Seattle to settle back in his apartment. He'll return to Forks tomorrow but he'll have to leave again in a few days as his classes will start."

"Oh, it totally slipped my mind that the fall semester was starting already. He never mentioned anything about it."

"You know how Jasper is, I think with all that was happening to Bella he probably didn't want to bother anyone with his issues," Mom explained.

"This summer went by so fast. Dad, has Aro mentioned anything about what he expects me to do while Bella is recuperating?"

"He hasn't mentioned anything so it's probably safe to assume that he wants you to stay with Bella here in Forks but when I speak to him later tonight I'll make sure to ask him. Do you want to go back to Seattle?"

"With James still on the loose I prefer to stay in Forks but Bella can't really work right now so I just wasn't sure what Aro expected of me."

"Well, I hope you can stay. I'll need all the help I can get to put Charlie's home back in order and prepare for Bella's birthday party," Mom said smiling.

**BPOV**

I barely slept last night from excitement as I was finally getting released from the hospital today. I ended up staying longer even though I was getting released into Carlisle's care. I didn't heal as quickly as Carlisle hoped and he didn't want to risk any complications arising from releasing me from the hospital last week. According to the test results my immune system was weakened due to malnutrition from the month I spent with Phil when he barely fed me. I had gained most of my weight back but I guess weight gain didn't mean that I was back to my old self health wise. I wasn't as strong as I used to be and I had lost a lot of muscle mass. Being immobile in a hospital didn't help either and I dreaded what my leg would look like after being in this cast for three months.

Dad showed up earlier and was taking care of the paperwork to get me released along with Esme who was taking care of the bills on behalf of Aro. I couldn't wait to sleep in a normal bed but I was a little nervous moving into the Cullens' home where I would stay until my arm cast was off allowing me move around in my leg cast on crutches and make it up and down the stairs at home.

I hate to admit it but I was going to miss my hospital suite a little. At first I was hesitant, knowing a hospital suite like this didn't come cheap, but Dad seemed extra thrilled he was able to spend the night on the sleeper couch in the room with me so I let things go. It seemed odd that someone needed my room when there were other vacant rooms near mine but I didn't bother to question anyone as they all seemed to have this look which said that there was more to the story but they weren't willing to tell me.

Alice was currently packing all her crap she brought to make herself comfortable while she stayed with me during the day with Edward. Even Edward had brought a whole bunch of board games, books, magazines, DVDs, and an Xbox. I obviously couldn't play but that didn't stop Edward and Lone from playing.

I started missing Lone since he returned to Seattle for his classes but he would be back tomorrow for my birthday party along with Rosalie and Emmett. Part of me wanted a little peace and calm and didn't want people to make a big deal out of my birthday, but Esme seemed so happy to throw me the party that I just didn't have the heart to stop them going forward with it.

No one would ever replace my mom but Esme had really become an important person in my life. She visited me every day and on days I didn't feel well she would hug me and hold me. She would kick Edward and Alice out of the room when I seemed like I needed to be alone and she would typically leave the room when Edward was sitting on my bed while we watched T.V. I had a sneaking suspicion Esme knew Edward and I weren't just friends anymore. Last week when Edward was on the bed with me and Alice and Esme were on the couch watching Dexter, when the scene showed Dexter's wife was dead in the tub Alice started crying and I also felt sorry for Dexter so Edward pulled me closer to him and kissed my head, I heard a chuckle and the corner of Esme's lips turn up. It was definitely not the kind of scene anyone would be chuckling about so I was pretty sure she was chuckling from her witnessing how close Edward and I had become.

Knowing that Esme wasn't against Edward and me becoming closer was a relief. At least that meant there was one person who could calm Dad down if he were to find out.

Dad and Esme were all smiles when they returned to my room. "Bells, ready to go?"

"Are you kidding? I was ready to be released since the moment I woke up from the surgery," I declared making everyone laugh.

"We'll be out of here as soon as Carlisle gets here to wheel you out. Carlisle was kind enough to arrange for your wheelchair and there's one waiting for you at their home. Since you can't bend your knee and it won't be safe to transport you in my cruiser, you'll be riding in the Cullens' car," Dad explained and I nodded. I didn't care whose car it was, I just wanted to get the hell out of here.

"Well looks like you're all ready. I'm going to miss having you here, Bella," Carlisle said chuckling.

"You only miss her cuz you'll no longer get to crash on her couch sleeper and watch T.V." Alice said causing everyone to laugh.

"I will miss all that but I'll most certainly miss having Bella around in the hospital," Carlisle said smiling.

Dad had to leave but told me he had all day tomorrow and the day after free. Edward lifted me into the car and sat beside me so that he could stabilize me from rolling around in the back seat. Esme was all smiles watching Edward holding me in the car so that was proof enough for me that she knew about us.

Alice sat in the seat in front of us but she was positioned with her body facing us the whole ride to their home making kissy sounds to tease us. Edward and I scowled at her but that only triggered her to tease us even more resulting in Edward throwing the cushions and whatever he could get his hands on at her.

Once we were in their foyer Edward lifted me into the wheelchair. It was a power chair so I was thrilled I wouldn't need assistance to get around. I was a little worried that I would ruin their floor but Esme seemed to sense my concern and assured me that the chair wouldn't damage anything.

Edward and Alice followed Esme, carrying my things to the room I was staying in. I was shocked to see that many of my own belongings were here. I was heartened to see how they carefully planned every detail in this room to make things comfortable for me.

"Wow. Thank you so much. You really didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

"Silly Bella. It wasn't trouble at all. We just want you to feel like you're at home. I didn't want you down here alone so Edward moved some of his things to the guest room beside yours. Your dad no longer stays with us but there's another guest room on this floor for him in case he wants to stay now that you're here." Esme explained.

"Thank you so much. I don't know how to thank you."

"As long as you're happy and you feel at home then we're all good," Esme hugged me before heading to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Alice asked hopping onto my bed beside me.

"Ummm. I hate to say this but do you think I could nap until lunch? I'm sorry. I feel horrible that I get tired so easily."

"Hey, it's nothing to feel bad about. Let's get you tucked in bed and I'll wake you when lunch is ready," Edward suggested shooing Alice off the bed. As soon as he settled me comfortably in the bed, he dragged Alice out of the room so that I could nap.

**EPOV**

I felt giddy having Bella staying with us but I knew I needed to rein myself in before I did anything in front of Dad and Chief Swan. I had a feeling my father was getting a little suspicious of Bella and I. When I got to the kitchen mom told me she wanted to talk to me.

"Edward, as a parent I should be frowning upon what's going on between you and Bella, but honestly I trust you more than any teenage boys her age. If Renee were here with us I think she would have accepted you with open arms. Bella's turning 18 tomorrow so legally you wouldn't be punished if you pursue her but just know that if you hurt her you have a lot of people to answer to including me. I love you very much but I also love Bella like my own daughter. Keep in mind that she's still very young and has a lot of growing up to do. The last thing I want her doing is acting older to make you happy."

"Mom, I promise I won't hurt her."

"It's easy to say but it's going to be harder than you think. You'll need to hang out with people her age and not all are going to act as mature as Bella. Your friends will need to accept Bella as well. Can they do that? You can't just hang out with Jasper and keep Bella hidden from the rest of your friends."

Mom made a valid point. Once I was back in Seattle things will no longer be like what it was here. I lead a very different life back in Seattle. I didn't party as much as I did in college, but I still went out for drinks after work quite often with my colleagues and friends from college, and went clubbing on weekends. I wondered if Bella would be comfortable around my friends as many of them were quite obnoxious when drunk and acted like kids resulting in getting us thrown out of the bars. I was sure my friends would have a field day once I told them how old Bella was.

"Mom, don't worry. I'll do everything in my power to ensure that Bella comes first."

"Edward, you need to live your life too. If you're not happy, you can't make her happy either. Things will probably stay relatively the same until she starts college. When she does you'll have to learn to be patient as she'll be busy with school and new friends and will probably have less time to spend with you. You remember how things were while you were in college right? Maybe college life for Bella won't exactly mirror yours but expect her to go a little wild first since Alice will be with her," Mom said chuckling.

Images of my crazy partying freshman days came to mind. It made me shiver knowing Alice would most likely follow in my footsteps dragging Bella along wherever she goes. Mom chuckled and patted me on the back.

"Good luck with that," Mom said laughing as if she could see what I was thinking and went to set the table.

Imagining Bella and Alice partying like how Jasper and I did made me a little nauseous. I struggled with wanting to keep Bella and Alice locked up in the apartment but I knew I couldn't do that. I knew Bella needed to experience both the good and the bad. I just needed to be around for her when she needed me. My overprotective nature needed to be reigned in and I wasn't sure how good I was going to be at that. I sighed out loud feeling depressed for something that hadn't even happened yet. I wanted to shield Bella from all the bad.

"Brother, what's that glum face for? Shouldn't you be excited that you get to sleep next door to Bella for a while?" Alice teased.

"What will make me happy is if you'll promise me you'll both be home by 9 every night and never party when you start college."

"You're insane! The best time of our lives is going to happen once we start college. Don't expect us to be home anytime before sunrise!"

"I thought as much…," I said sighing.

"Stop worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet. You should be worrying about things in the present. Anyhow, what did you get Bella for her birthday?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Ummm I got her a Juicy Couture starter charm bracelet with a laptop, cupcake, and ice cream charm. You think she'll like it?"

"Hmmm," Alice pondered. "Actually that sounds perfect BUT is that it? Come on where's the romance? You can't give her just a present like the rest of us. Wine and dine her. Well you can't exactly give her booze but you get the drift. Tell you what, since Dad isn't coming home tonight and the Chief isn't dropping by, I can take Mom out of the house for dinner so you and Bella can have dinner alone here. You think you can manage to pull something off?"

"Errr I can try?" Alice sighed shaking her head.

"I know you can't cook so you'll need to go and buy something for dinner. I suggest you head out to Port Angeles now since you'll probably drive around in circles trying to come up with ideas."

"I could do with some ideas you know."

"Edward! Be a man! If you can't pull this off yourself you're never going to get anything started with her!" Alice cried huffing.

"Hey, I can do this myself. Just thought getting some tips from her best friend would make things even better for her that's all," I countered although I was sure Alice could see through my lie.

"Whatever bro. I know you'll do fine. Chop chop; time's running out," Alice warned pushing me towards the door.

I dragged my feet to my car wondering what have I gotten myself into. I wasn't prepared to do something special for her on such short notice and I was having difficulty thinking of something she'd want to eat. On my drive towards Port Angeles I thought of all the food I saw Bella eat while we were in LA and came to the conclusion that she loved fast food and sweets.

Once I was in Port Angeles I spotted KFC, Taco Bell, Wendy's and Dairy Queen. I was suddenly giddy that I could pull this off without any problem. Lots of ideas started running through my head and the first stop I made was to Blockbuster to pick up some movies.

Once I was in the store I went to the new releases section and purchased Toy Story 3, Sex and the City 2, How to Train your Dragon, and Prince of Persia. I was damn sure she would love Prince of Persia since it was based on the video game series. I was quite happy I found a good selection and that I was confident we'd have a blast watching some of them tonight.

Then I went to the supermarket and grabbed some chips, cookies, chocolates, cupcakes, and sodas. Once I was sure I had enough junk food I went and picked up the burgers, fried chicken, tacos, chilli, fries, and blizzards.

On my walk back to the car I wondered if I should buy some candles and flowers but decided that we weren't quite there yet. We hadn't even gone on our first date yet and thought to save those romantic gestures for later.

Once I was back in the house I found Felix and Alec in the living room and remembered that since Bella was now here they were staying here as well. I felt a little bummed that it wasn't just Bella and me in the house but had to let it go as they were here to protect Bella.

"Oh good, you're back. Bella's up from her nap and watching T.V. with Alice in her room. I'll go and grab Alice as soon as you're ready setting up whatever you need to do," Mom said smirking.

"Thanks Mom," I said feeling myself blush; earning some chuckles from her.

I headed to the den and set up cushions against the couch to make it comfortable for Bella. I wanted us to relax on the carpet as sitting on the couch wasn't a good option because of her leg cast. If she were to lay down on the couch that was parallel to the T.V. she would have to turn her neck to watch the screen and would probably get a neck cramp after a while.

Once I had all the food laid out, I went to tell Mom that I was ready. Mom and the girls came out of Bella's room and Mom and Alice left for the mall. "So you brought me dinner?" Bella asked smiling.

"You bet I did but I set up all the food in the den so I'm going to have to carry you down the stairs. Is that okay with you?" Bella frowned a little and that made me nervous.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay carrying me down the stairs? I don't want you getting hurt. Maybe we can ask Felix to carry me down?"

"Aww I'm hurt. I'm not that wimpy you know," I replied feigning a pout.

"I didn't say that. I just don't want you hurting yourself."

"I'm gonna be fine," I promised picking her up from her wheelchair. As I went towards the stairs I hollered to Felix and Alec that Bella and I were going to be downstairs in the den and that I left some food for them in the kitchen.

I knew I was going to be carrying Bella into the den so I had left the door open since my hands wouldn't be free. As soon as she saw the array of food in the den Bella squealed excitedly.

"Oh my God! You didn't! It's like Thanksgiving and Christmas happening all at once! They're all my favorite foods!" Bella shrieked showering me with kisses on my cheek.

"Wow! If I knew you'd react like this I would've brought you junk food in the hospital everyday instead of Mom's food," I said jokingly.

"You would've owned me by now if you did. Too bad," Bella said chuckling.

"Awww shucks!" I said laughing.

Once I settled Bella comfortably, I strategically rearranged the easy to eat food near her so she could reach those with her good hand and placed all the food she would need assistance with on my side.

"I bought some movies we could watch. Which one would you like to…" before I could finish my sentence Bella blurted out "Prince of Persia. Of course! Oh I loved that game so much!"

"I'm glad you found something you like from my selection."

"Oh it's not just Prince of Persia. I love all the movies you got for me. You bought them? You could've rented them you know."

"I know but I thought maybe you'd like to keep them."

"You're so sweet. So perfect. How did I get so lucky?" Bella said taking my hand and placing a little peck on it.

While I went to set up the movie I told Bella she could start eating as she looked like she was about to drool from hunger. She just looked so adorable and happy and I was proud that I did well. I started laughing when she started singing Beastie Boys' Finger Lickin' Good while taking a bite of the fried chicken. I hadn't seen her in such a great mood since she was hospitalized and was thrilled that I had a hand in accomplishing that.

Once we were done with the main course, I pulled out the red velvet cupcakes I bought for dessert. "OH you didn't!" Bella squealed pointing to the cupcakes.

"Like it?"

"Like it? Are you fucking with me? I love red velvet cake!" '_Fucking with you? I wish'_. I thought to myself before mentally kicking myself for my inappropriate yet wishful thinking. I winked at her smirking but she was too excited about the cupcake that she probably didn't even register that I was having some very horny thoughts running through my head. All kinds of scenario were currently playing in my head and wouldn't stop no matter how hard I tried. Images of taking Bella's clothes off and showering her with kisses were running rampant and I imagined that even her casts looked sexy on her. My jeans were getting tighter and I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of her so I had to imagine Emmett in a bra and garters carrying a whip. Thankfully that grotesque image quickly resolved my growing problem in my pants.

I held the cupcake to her lips as it wasn't really easy for her to eat with just one hand. "Mmmmmmm. Soooo good," Bella moaned which again stirred my problem in pants.

"Emmett in garters, Emmett in garters, Emmett in garters…" I repeated in my head and Bella started bellowing.

"What? What's so funny?" I asked.

"Emmett in garters? Seriously? What's running through your head?" Bella choked out laughing.

Damn I hadn't meant to say it out loud. "Errr don't know…" I said blushing. My face felt really hot so I was sure my face must've been crimson.

"You're so silly. I love that about you. You're smart, funny, and so sweet," Bella responded and wrapped her good arm around my shoulder looking like she was trying to sit on my lap.

I gently assisted her by placing her on my lap. She held my cheek with her good hand and leaned in to kiss me on my lips. I ran my fingers through her hair and deepened the kiss. She tasted so sweet; almost like tasting strawberry shortcake. I realized this may be due to the strawberry blizzard and the red velvet cake she just ate.

"I have something for you," I said when we both pulled away to catch a breath. Bella tilted her head looking puzzled.

"Your birthday isn't until tomorrow but I think I'd like to give my gift to you tonight," I said and pulled out the little box I had hidden under the couch.

"Oh Edward. You didn't have to buy me another present. This was all more than enough. You already got me those movies."

"Well I'm getting to enjoy the movies also but this is just for you. May I have the honors of opening it for you?" I asked kissing her on the tip of her nose. Bella nodded smiling.

I opened the gift and placed the bracelet in her hand. "Oh I love it. It even has a little laptop charm. You're spoiling me. You've done so much today; what are you going to do when we go on a date?" Her question put a smile on my face. I was thrilled she was looking forward to me taking her out on a date.

"I'm sure I can top all this when we go on our first date," I promised while clasping the bracelet on her wrist.

"Well I'll look forward to that," Bella said before I leaned in to kiss her again on her lips.

**A/N**

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. I tried to put a little something sweet to show Bella and Edward's relationship developing without overdoing it.

I work in the software entertainment industry so I unintentionally use terms thinking it's something everyone knows and JCook169, my awesome beta, suggested I add a little explanation of what a game engine is. Wikipedia explains it well so I'm quoting what they have for the definition of a game engine. I hope this helps to understand why James won't give up on pursuing Bella.

"A game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of video games. The core functionality typically provided by a game engine includes a rendering engine ("renderer") for 2D or 3D graphics, physics engine or collision detection (and collision response), sound, scripting, animation, artificial intelligence, networking, reaming, memory management, threading, localization support, and scene graph."

"The term game engine arose in the mid 1990's, especially in connection with 3D games such as first-person shooters (FPS). Such was the popularity of id Software's Doom and Quake games that, rather than work from scratch, other developers licensed core portions of the software…"

"The practice of licensing such technology has proved to be a useful auxiliary revenue stream for some developers, as a single license for a high-end commercial game engine can range from $10,000 to millions of dollars…At the very least, reusable game engines make developing game sequels faster and easier which is a valuable advantage in the competitive video game industry."


	15. Chapter 15 So huge

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to JCook169 for her awesome beta skills and for all the encouragement

and suggestions she's giving me. She rocks!

**Chapter 15 So huge…**

**EPOV**

I felt my cheek being poked repeatedly as I attempted to signal whomever was doing that to me to stop. I was so tired and could barely open my eyes. Once I was able to crack open an eye enough I found a tiny face grinning at me which caused me to growl at her and close my eyes again.

"Cut it out, Alice. I'm tired."

"Yeah well you might want to get up cuz I'm sure you don't want Rose and Em walking in on Bella asleep on your lap with your arms wrapped around her," Alice said chuckling.

I suddenly remembered Bella falling asleep after we started watching the next movie and I must've fallen asleep listening to her sleep talking. Even though Bella didn't weigh much, having her on my lap for hours made my legs fall asleep.

"I thought Em and Rose were driving over here tomorrow morning. Anyway I need some help here because my legs fell asleep. Would you help me slide Bella off of my lap so I could get up?" I asked Alice.

I couldn't help but chuckle hearing Alice grunt under the strain of trying to slide Bella off of me. She was out cold but still occasionally blurting silly comments about wanting more chocolates.

"Damn, how much sugar did you give her? She's asleep but seems like she's still on a sugar high," Alice laughed while I rubbed my legs trying to get the circulation going. Once my legs felt better I got on my knees and hoisted Bella into my arms. Alice followed me as I carried Bella upstairs to her bedroom.

Alice kicked me out of the room so that she could change Bella into her pajamas. I walked to the living room and planted myself on the couch while I waited for Alice to leave Bella's room.

While I was waiting, I heard a car drive up and a bellowing laugh coming closer to the front door. Before I even had the chance to get up there was the loud bang of the door opening and Em shouting 'we're home!'"

"Could use some help here," I heard Rose shout from the foyer. I dragged myself towards them and found Rose and Em carrying a mountain of gifts in their arms.

"Damn, you guys sure did buy a lot of presents!"

"Actually most of these are ones we purchased for Bella. For some reason Esme, Alice, and even the Chief thought I was their personal shopper," Rose huffed. "I even had to travel to LA to get some of the gifts the Chief wanted for Bella because Esme wanted me to actually go to the store so I can make sure the things she wanted for Bella was exactly how it was described online."

"What did Chief Swan get for Bella?"

"Prepare to be shocked! He got her a lot of clothes! He said Bella didn't own much clothing to survive the winter in Forks and that he wanted to get her clothes she wouldn't feel embarrassed to wear to college. Oh the Chief was sooooo sweet. He sent me a lot of clippings from magazines and printouts from the websites. I was really impressed with all the work he put in!"

"Wow, I'm impressed as well. I just assumed he'd get her something from Newton's."

"Bro, what did you buy for Bella?" Emmett asked.

"I got her a bracelet."

"You got her a bracelet? Aww I think that's sweet. I bet Bella's gonna really love it," Rose commented excitedly.

"Err… well I already gave it to her a little while ago tonight. I threw her a little pre-birthday party."

"So that's why you've got that silly grin on your face," Em observed laughing.

"I'm just happy," I said shrugging.

"Well I'm gonna leave you boys to putting the gifts away. I'm gonna go say goodnight to Bella," Rose waved walking towards Bella's room.

"What did you get for Bella?"

"I heard that her backpack was stolen so I got her a backpack and little extra something," Em said grinning.

"Do I wanna know what that extra something is?" I asked chuckling.

"I'm not telling you. You have to wait till she opens it!"

"Fine. I'm exhausted so I'm off to bed, I'll see you tomorrow," I said, waving to Emmett while I walked towards my bedroom.

**BPOV**

Esme woke me up early so that she could help me bathe and dress after I enjoyed the breakfast in bed she brought me which allowed me to relax in the comfort of my room and not have to bother to change from my pajamas until I finished eating.

"That's a really cute bracelet," Esme commented pointing at the bracelet Edward gave me. Alice tried to remove it last night but I told her I wanted to keep it on when I went to bed last night.

"Thanks. It's my birthday present from Edward," I said blushing.

"Well, my son has great taste," Esme smiled nodding which left me at a loss for words. How was I supposed to comment on something like that? Since I had no idea, I just smiled and nodded.

After Esme helped me dress there was a loud banging on my door. "Come in," I said and Emmett popped his head in.

"How's the Boo-boo birthday bear doin' today?"

"As good as anyone in casts celebrating their birthday can be," I huffed scrunching my nose.

"Aww well think of it this way, you get to make people do everything for you without moving a finger. Actually… that sounds really awesome. I'd love to boss Rosie around for a day," Emmett said chuckling as he plopped down on my bed snuggling beside me.

"Emmett! Get off her bed, Bella's about to fall off the other side of it!" Esme said scowling.

"I'll get off her bed as soon as I see how Eddie boy reacts when he walks in and sees us together," Emmett laughed.

"I don't think he'd care," I said shrugging.

"Just wait and see," Emmett chuckled. Esme shook her head and went back to the kitchen.

Edward was usually awake before me but he must've been really tired from all the work he put in to our evening yesterday that he was still asleep. Emmett was getting bored waiting for him and started watching T.V.

"Emmett, it might be a while. Why don't you go do something? It's silly to wait around when it's likely he wouldn't give a damn about seeing you in my bed. I don't think he'd consider you as competition. You've got Rose," I said scowling.

"I know my brother. Whether he considers me as competition or not, he'd still get pissed and I just want to see that!"

"Grrr. Suit yourself. Hand me the remote. It's my T.V and I'm so not going to get stuck here watching sports with you," I retorted sticking my good hand out to him to take back the remote. Emmett handed me the remote pouting.

Finally about a half hour later Edward showed up holding a cup of coffee smiling. His smile turned into a glare immediately when he saw Emmett snuggled up to me.

Emmett smirked at me. "I told you so," Emmett laughed before walking out the door patting Edward on his shoulders.

"What was he doing here?" Edward asked still looking pissed.

"He was just messing with you," I replied shaking my head. I didn't understand brothers at all.

"Why would he do that?"

"Hey, he's your brother. Moments like this I'm glad I was an only child," I said chuckling.

Edward sighed and carefully sat on my bed. "How are you feeling today? Will you be okay? If you think a party is too much we can call it off, you know."

"I'm cool. I already had breakfast and the pain meds. I'll be fine for a while."

"Just know if you feel tired or overwhelmed at any point it's okay to come back here and rest, okay?"

"I'll be fine. Stop worrying," I said before leaning my head on his shoulder. Edward smiled and gave me a delicate little kiss on my lips.

We stayed in bed watching T.V. for a while keeping a little space between us just in case Carlisle walked in on us. I wasn't ready to publicize our feelings yet. I turned eighteen today but didn't think it was a good idea for my dad to find out about our plans to start dating while I lived at the Cullens'.

I was surprised when I heard dad's voice from the living room. The party wasn't starting for at least an hour but it sounded like he was already here. "I think I hear my dad," I said to Edward causing him to straighten himself on my bed.

"I'll go and check," Edward said and quickly gave me a peck on my cheek.

Shortly afterwards Dad walked into my room with a big smile on his face. "How are ya, Bells?"

"I'm good. You look better than you used to while I was in the hospital." He looked like he aged 10 years while I was in the hospital but today he looked like he usually did. My hospitalization must have been a huge stress on him.

"Hey, I should be saying that to you!" Dad replied sliding onto my bed before giving me a hug.

"I love it that you're here early but the party isn't starting yet, you know? You could've slept in."

"I wanted to spend some time alone before I had to share you with the others, and I wanted to give you something privately." Dad admitted before pulling a little box from his pocket and handing it to me.

"Ummm. I'm gonna need you to open it for me."

"Oh sorry, Bells. I forgot about that," Dad said untying the ribbon on the little box.

He opened the little velvet box and showed me a little necklace with a B letter charm with a little diamond dangling from it. "There were some things your mother left behind. One of them was a diamond ring I had given her. I was really young and we were quite poor back then so I could only afford this very small diamond. I took it to the jewelers and had them make this charm and had the diamond placed on it. I hope you'll like it," Dad explained nervously.

"Dad! I love it! It's so beautiful. Are you sure? It must mean so much to you though."

"I wanted you to have it and I think Renee would've as well."

I couldn't hold back the tears. I was sure the ring was precious to my dad.

"I need to talk to you about something, Bells," Dad said with sadness in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Bells, Aro wants you to go work for him in Seattle as soon as your arm cast is off. He thinks the way to protect you is to license the game engine you are developing and it's not feasible to do that from Forks. He's going to hire people for the project and set you all up at a location outside of the Volturi headquarters. You'll live with Alice in a condo he'll be renting for you two. What do you think? I'm fine with whatever you want to do," Dad said with a forced smile.

This was something I just hadn't thought of. It would be a great opportunity for me but the look Dad had in his eyes was clear this was something he wasn't really excited about. He was thrilled I would be staying with him in Forks until college started, so this news must have really thrown him off. but he was giving me the choice instead of holding me back from doing what I enjoyed. Part of me was really excited of this news but I didn't want to do this to Dad. For all the things he'd done for me since I came to live with him the least I was able to do was to stay with him until school started.

"I don't think the timing is right. I'm not ready to leave Forks yet, I'm not really mobile and I don't really want Alice to be stuck taking care of me."

"Bells, don't stay here on my account. I know how important this project is to you so I don't want you to worry about me. Seattle isn't that far from Forks so you can come home on weekends. Most of your classmates have all left home for college already. I was just lucky that I got to have you here longer than the norm. It's time for me to let you go and achieve the great things you were born to do. I love you Bells and I'll always be here for you."

"But Dad… I haven't done anything in return. You've taken such good care of me and all I did was make you worry about me constantly. I don't want to leave you yet."

Dad hugged me and I sobbed into his chest. "It's a parent's job to worry because we love our children. I don't want to make the same mistake I made with your Mom when I held her back. I was too caught up with my job and didn't notice how depressed she was. This town just didn't have what she needed. I'm not going repeat my mistakes with you. You have so much potential, Bells and you're set to do great things. You're only going to be few hours away from me so I can go visit you as well. Carlisle goes into Seattle several times a month. I'll just go with him and visit you while he works at the hospital there. Your safety is paramount to me and by your moving to Seattle, it not only keeps you safe but you can do what you enjoy doing. You would've gone to Seattle in the spring anyway. I'll miss you but I now have you back in my life and that's all that I've ever wanted from the moment your mom took you with her when she left," Dad said and smiled with tears in his eyes.

"You really think it's a good idea for me to go?"

"Absolutely."

"Thanks, Dad. I love you and I'll miss you too," I said hugging him the best I could with my good arm. The moment I said that I heard a squeal from the door. When I moved my head towards the direction to see who it was I saw Alice grinning and doing a fist pump.

"We're going to Seattle!" she squealed before jumping onto my bed crashing into my dad.

"Whoa! Careful, Alice. You're going to hurt Bella and she'll be no good to you if she ends up getting injured. She won't be able to go to Seattle with you then," Dad warned chuckling.

"Oops," Alice said giggling.

"Here, let me help you into your wheelchair so we can go and join everyone in the living room. The Blacks must be here by now. It's your birthday, we shouldn't keep everyone waiting," Dad said as he lifted me into his arms. I snuggled into his chest and breathed in his scent.

"Can you just carry me to the living room?" I asked Dad. I just didn't want to leave his arms yet. I felt like I was already missing him and it felt a little weird since I never imagined myself becoming so attached to him. I always assumed this situation was just temporary until I turned eighteen when I could live on my own without being sent into foster care. After I came to live with him I realized how much he cared and loved me. He was a good man and now I wished my parents would have shared custody so that I would've had the chance to spend time with him growing up. "I love you, Dad. I wish I would have been able to get to know you earlier," I said before kissing him on his cheek. Dad nodded mutely with a single tear rolling down his cheek. I wiped the teardrop with my thumb and snuggled into his neck satisfied that the tear was not from sadness.

"Look! There's the birthday girl!" Emmett boomed, alerting everyone when my dad carried me into the living room. When I looked up I noticed everyone's eyes on me and when my eyes met with Esme's I saw her wipe away tears. She looked genuinely happy to see me with Dad. She smiled, nodding at me. I assumed she knew Dad's plans to discuss Seattle with me.

Dad helped me settle next to him. I noticed Edward standing by the fireplace with Lone, just as Billy wheeled himself over to the couch with Jacob following, settling down on the couch with us. I wanted Edward to sit by me and felt a little ticked off at Jacob but when I glanced at Edward he shook his head smiling, indicating he was okay with Jacob taking his seat.

Once everyone was settled, Esme passed out champagne flutes. I sniffed mine and felt a little disappointed that the flute contained ginger ale. I noticed that Jacob and Alice's were the same color as mine so I assumed theirs wasn't champagne either. Alice must have sniffed her drink as well since I saw her scrunch her nose and started pouting.

Carlisle raised his glass and everyone joined him in wishing me happy birthday. As soon as we sipped our drinks the party kicked off. Edward brought my dad and I a plate of food before sitting at my feet next to Lone.

Alice walked over with her plate of food and stood in front of Jacob, narrowing her eyes. Jacob looked confused. "Jake, I think Alice is hinting for you to get your ass off the couch. You're not gonna keep the lady standing or make her sit on the carpet are you?" Dad asked laughing and elbowing Jacob.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jacob said and got up from the couch blushing. He settled down on the carpet beside Billy's wheelchair.

"Thank you," Alice said and sat down on the couch giggling.

"Now I have two of my favorite girls beside me," Dad said laughing.

Once we were done with the food it was time for me to open the mountain of gifts that were piled up on the table by the fireplace. "I want to give my present to Bella first!" Emmett cried, bringing over a huge lumpy gift in a bag with a bow around it. "Here, open this one first," Emmett said with a huge smile on his face as he shoved the oddly shaped package towards me.

Dad narrowed his eyes at Emmett and took it from him. Since I couldn't open the gifts myself he opened the bag and started laughing. "Dad, what is it? Let me see!" I said, curious as to why he was laughing so hard.

The room burst into laughter when Dad pulled out a huge Curious George stuffed animal. "Everyone needs a Georgie," Emmett declared looking proud of himself.

"Oh my gosh. How huge is that thing?" Alice blurted out shocked at the size.

"He's 47 inches tall. You love it right?" Emmett asked looking so happy. I didn't want to burst his bubble but I was really shocked with how large the stuffed animal was.

Rosalie slapped the back of his head and glared at him. "I'm so sorry, Bella. If I'd known I would've stopped him or at least forced him to get you a smaller one."

I was at loss for words but Dad seemed to really like George. "I'm sure Bells loves it. We can keep him on my recliner," Dad said looking genuinely thrilled with the huge-ass Curious George.

At first I thought the ginormous plush doll was a gag gift but after seeing Emmett so genuinely happy, I realized he was serious in giving me a Curious George stuffed animal. The rest of the gift opening was thankfully less eventful. I was given a lot of clothes, a backpack, laptop bag, and some gift cards however the most interesting gift was actually from Alice. She had Carlisle and Esme pitch in to purchase us tickets to fly out to New Orleans for the Halloween festivities there and to attend the Annual Vampire Ball. Dad didn't seem to like the idea but approved as soon as Carlisle told him that he'd be accompanying us with Esme. Now I had something to look forward to. I'd still be in a wheelchair but I definitely could use the fun. I had been stuck in the hospital and I'll be stuck here until my arm cast is removed so a little trip away from the monotony sounded really good.

After we finished eating the cake, the painkillers wore off and I began to feel a little worn out. Dad noticed me wince when I shifted myself to sit further into the couch. "Bells, are you all right?"

"I'm okay. Don't worry."

"You don't sound okay. Are you in pain?"

"We should get going. Bella probably needs a little rest from all today's excitement." Billy said smiling motioning for Jacob to get up.

"You don't have to leave yet. I just need another dose of my meds I think."

"I have the day off so I was thinking I'd come and take you home for a few hours tomorrow. Everyone else can come too. What do you think?" Dad asked.

"I'd like that. It would be nice to be home for a little while," I said smiling at my dad.

"All right then. I'll see you tomorrow Bells," Dad promised before thanking everyone and leaving with Billy and Jacob.

While the rest of the Cullens started to clean up, Carlisle helped me into my chair and wheeled me into my bedroom. He made sure I was okay and gave me some painkillers and tucked me in bed so that I could take a little nap until dinner. I felt bad leaving everyone to do the cleanup but Carlisle assured me that I was the birthday girl so I shouldn't feel bad at all. This was my day to be pampered he said smiling.

After Carlisle left my bedroom I heard a knock on my door before Lone stuck his head through the door. "Want a little company?"

"Sure," I said, patting the space beside me on the bed. Jasper gently sat on my bed and asked me how I was adjusting to living with the Cullens.

"They've been real great and so patient with me since I can barely do anything myself." I must be driving them all nuts.

"I'm sure they don't mind at all. In fact I think they all love having you around, especially Esme. I think because of you she gets to see Carlisle more than usual. She must be enjoying his company."

"Well I'm glad to hear I've done one good thing."

"Everyone is smiling more because of the effect you have on everyone. I know you definitely affect me. I miss you and Alice, I got so used to having you both around me."

"Alice huh?" I said giggling causing Lone to blush. "Oooh I saw that! You like Alice don't you?"

"She's fun. It's different because I used to just think of her as Edward's kid sister but she's all grown up now."

"Ah! You're attracted to her. Don't lie to me. I can see it in your eyes," I teased.

"Don't tell Edward."

"Why not? I'm sure he wouldn't mind. You're a great guy."

"There's an unwritten rule to never get involved with your buddy's little sister."

"That's a bunch of bullshit. He'd be happy that a great guy like you is attracted to his little sister."

"I'm no saint, Duckling. Edward knows all the girls I was involved with," Lone said shrugging.

"You're better than any of the guys I know. Tell you what, I'm exhausted. I think I'm done for the day. Ask Rose, Em, Edward, and Alice out for a movie and spend some time getting to know Alice more."

"Hey, today is your day. We can't just leave you and go to a movie."

"I'm beat. I want you guys to go have fun for me," I said, forcing Lone off my bed to go and ask the others out to a movie.

**EPOV**

Jasper came out of Bella's bedroom and suggested we all go out for a movie. Em, Alice, and Rose was thrilled with the idea. I declined telling them I was exhausted so that I could spend some time with Bella. Mom invited herself and Dad to join them all. I had a suspicion that Mom purposely did that so that she could give Bella and me some time together since we barely had any due to the Chief being around today.

Before they all left Mom told me to heat the gumbo she prepared or to order something for dinner. I decided to go check on Bella to make sure she was okay and found her sleeping with a smile on her face. I was glad things went well today. Earlier during the party Alice excitedly told Jasper and me that Chief Swan had the talk with Bella about moving to Seattle earlier than planned. She was excited the Chief was letting Bella go. Dad and Mom had already discussed Seattle with Alice a few days ago and told her that everything depended on Chief Swan's decision and that Alice couldn't tell Bella Aro's plan until the Chief spoke to Bella first. I was really proud of Alice that she kept the promise and her mouth shut. At first I thought it was a bad idea that my parents told Alice Aro's plan before Chief Swan spoke to Bella as Alice was an expert in the art of persuasion. I was afraid that she'd tell Bella or try to influence Chief Swan to let Bella go but instead she patiently waited until Chief Swan had his discussion with Bella.

I was too busy watching Bella earlier that I didn't even notice that the ugly assed, frickin huge Curious George was on her bed. I flung it off and took his spot on Bella's comforter. Watching her sleep and hearing her sleep talk had started to become one of my favorite things to do and today was no different.

"So huge…" Bella mumbled as her arm moved and slid up my leg. I wondered what she was dreaming about. My mind immediately went into the gutter and imagined that she was dreaming about my cock. "Monkey…" she said and my cock went hard. Did she want to see me spank my monkey? My mind was going all wild until the next word came out of her mouth. "Georgie…" she said causing my cock to rapidly deflate. Fuck! She was just dreaming about the frickin' huge monkey. I could kill Emmett for giving her such a lame ass gift. Emmett must've forgotten that the only reason Bella ever saw his filthy stuffed animal was because it was an excuse to get past the cop stationed at her house so we could retrieve the USB flash drive. Somehow he must've concluded in his childlike mind that Bella liked his Georgie.

I'm not sure how much time passed. Bella kept talking gibberish but she was so cute the whole time even when she farted. Yes even her farts were cute. Right after she tooted again, she woke up suddenly looking confused when she saw me staring at her. She scanned the room and furrowed her brows. "Where's George?"

"Oh… ah… just a sec," I said and got off the bed and picked the frickin' monkey up. She narrowed her eyes and cocked her brow at me.

"You tossed him off the bed didn't you?" Bella accused, glaring at me. I just shrugged my shoulders and gave her puppy eyes. Bella huffed and hugged George, petting his head. I suddenly felt a little jealous of the frickin' stuffed animal.

"Hungry? Mom made us some gumbo. I can go heat it up."

"Wait. I'll go with you. Would you help me into the chair?" I smiled nodding before lifting her into the wheelchair.

I opened the door and found Alec sitting in the chair across the door reading a book. "Can I assist you with something?" Alec asked.

"We're just going to go to the kitchen to heat up dinner," I replied and Alec followed us to the kitchen.

"It's my birthday so I should be able to do what I want right? Can we have Alec and Felix join us for dinner? It's not against rules or anything right?"

"I'm sure that can be arranged. Right?" I asked Alec. Alec smiled and nodded and called Felix to join us for dinner.

Felix and Alec seemed a lot more used to all of us now and didn't look as tense as they did when Bella was still in the hospital. The two were still very polite and business like to our family but seemed to warm up to Bella and I even found them chatting and laughing with her occasionally. I wished they acted like that with the rest of us too but I assumed they really didn't want Aro to find out that they were less than professional.

"Hey, we're going to New Orleans! Does that mean you guys can come too?" Bella said excitedly to Felix and Alec. Alec appeared excited about the trip but Felix replied that he'd have to discuss with Aro to find out if it would be them accompanying us. "Awww I hope it's you guys. Have you been to New Orleans? It would be so fun! We're even have VIP tickets to something called the Vampire Ball. Hilarious huh?" Bella gushed, laughing. "I bet you'd look really good dressed as a vampire since you're so tall," she said to Felix nodding. Felix smiled looking a little embarrassed.

"I think we still have some cake from the party. Do you want some?" I asked Bella and she nodded repeatedly. I sliced several pieces and set them on the table so that Felix, Alec, and Bella could have more than one piece. Over the time I spent with Felix and Alec, I discovered that they shared Bella's sweet tooth. I've seen them wolf down Ne-Mo's carrot cake squares many times while they were on break while Bella was hospitalized. It was kind of funny as I always had this image of them loving something bloody like rare steak. Them having a sweet tooth was possibly a vocational hazard as they didn't always have time to eat and probably filled their stomach with chocolates and candies.

After dinner Bella and I returned to her bedroom and Felix settled into the chair across from her bedroom. We climbed into bed and decided to watch some T.V. Coincidentally, after all the talk about vampires, True Blood was on so we ended up watching as we did some research on Bella's laptop for more information on New Orleans and the Vampire Ball.

"You know, I'm gonna look a little odd in a wheelchair at a Vampire Ball. I don't think I've ever seen a vampire in a wheelchair in any movie or T.V. show."

"I think Spike was in a wheelchair during some of the episodes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In any case I'm sure you'll be the sexiest vampire at the ball," I said before brushing my lips onto hers.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer?," Bella said smirking.

"I was once a horny teenager. Sarah Michelle Gellar was really popular back then," I said shrugging my shoulders. "Hey, I heard from Alice that your father approved of you going to Seattle. Are you excited?" I asked trying to change the subject.

"Ummm. Yeah." I was surprised she seemed so hesitant and I didn't really sense the enthusiasm from her that I had expected.

"I'm scared."

"Why? Are you worried that James or whoever might attack you again? You know I'll never let that happen to you."

"I'm not worried about that. I'm scared to move away from home. I thought I still had a few more months to prepare myself mentally. I've never lived alone."

"You won't be alone. You'll have Alice."

"But she might not always be home," Bella said and I felt the fear in her words.

"You'll never be alone, Bella. You'll always have me."

"You can't always be there, Edward. I can't be dependent on you all the time."

"Bella, I want to be there for you and at times that I can't be, I'm sure Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper would be more than happy to keep you company," I tried to assure her. I wondered if her fear of being alone had something to do with PTSD. I knew she had started therapy while she was in the hospital to cope with all that had happened over the months following her mother's death but the sessions had stopped until she was settled in our house. I made a mental note to inform Dad of my suspicion so that he'd get her in therapy again. I understood that therapy wouldn't solve everything but it was a step in the right direction. Bella experienced too much too young. In my opinion it was miraculous how well she was coping and I just wanted to make sure she was given help she needed before she broke down.

"I'm sorry. I'm being silly. Forget what I said."

"Bella, it's not silly at all. I want you to be able to share everything with me without holding back. All that you feel, all that you say, are important to me. I said and kissed her again. She deepened the kiss and while we were busy kissing I heard a loud bang from the door opening and Emmett and Rosalie shouting "We're home" out loud. I took that as a cue from Emmett and Rosalie that I'd better stop whatever I was doing with Bella if I didn't want my dad walking in on us. Bella giggled as she watched me straighten my shirt and settle on the couch in her room.

**A/N**

I'm sorry I took a while to get this chapter up. Lately I've been experiencing a mild form of writer's block. A lot of it is probably due to being really busy both at work and at home so it's been extremely hard to make time to relax and come up with something creative. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to show the changes happening in the relationship between Bella and Charlie and set up for Bella's move to Seattle. Please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter.


	16. Ch16 Witchihuahua and the Wicked Witches

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

As always lots of hugs and thanks to JCook169 for her brilliant beta skills. This chapter wouldn't have been half as good without your talent!

**Chapter 16 Witchihuahua and the Wicked Witches of the East**

**BPOV**

I was so excited I couldn't catch an hour of sleep but it seemed like I wasn't the only one awake as I kept hearing sounds from upstairs. I assumed it was Alice just now packing as we were leaving for New Orleans today. In a few hours we would drive to Seattle to board the 5:45 a.m. flight to Denver from where we would board our connecting flight to New Orleans which will arrive at 1:45 p.m. It seemed ridiculous to leave this early but it was a six hour flight so in order to not waste the first day of our stay, we all agreed on leaving right after midnight.

Our group, which included most of the Cullens along with Felix and Alec, would be meeting Lone, Rosalie, and Emmett in Seattle. I tried to do my own packing but failed miserably as I was still in my casts and couldn't even really fold my clothes properly yet even with all the practice I've been putting in.

"Are you awake?" I heard Esme's voice from the door.

"Come in," I said and Esme came, smiling, into my room.

"I made some soup and sandwiches. Would you like some?"

"Thank you. I would love some."

"Do you want to eat here or do you want to join Edward and Carlisle in the kitchen?"

"Oh I'd love to join them. Alice isn't eating?"

"She said she's not done packing," Esme sighed shaking her head as she helped me into my wheelchair.

"Good morning," I said smiling at Edward and Carlisle as I wheeled into the kitchen.

"Good morning. How are you feeling, Bella? You look a little pale." Carlisle asked in doctor mode.

"Don't worry. I'm just sleepy. I'll be fine as soon as I crash in the car on the drive to Seattle."

"Well, as soon as you finish eating I'll take you to the car so that you could get a head start on catching some sleep," Edward said winking at me. I caught the hint that we could snuggle together for a bit until everyone joined us in the car. We had a good solid hour until we needed to leave.

"Thanks. That sounds great."

Literally minutes after I finished eating Edward carried me to the car smiling. As my birthday present, Aro hired a limo to take us to Seattle and also booked our accommodations at Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street in the heart of the French Quarter. Felix and Alec followed us but didn't come into the car, opting to stand outside.

I lay down on the seat, resting my head on Edward's lap. He gently laid his arm on my waist and ran his fingers through my hair smiling. It felt really good and soon I drifted off to sleep.

**EPOV**

"Shhh. Keep your voice down. Bella's asleep," I said growling at Alice as she stepped into the car.

"Oh shuddup. She's fast asleep. Even an earthquake won't wake her up."

"Where are Mom and Dad?"

"Dad's on the phone with the hospital so Mom sent me to alert you two that they'll be here any minute. She probably thought you might be smootching or something. I'll take your place so that Dad won't be suspicious of anything."

"She just has her head in my lap. What's the big deal?"

"Do as I say and don't doubt me. I'm sure it will be better with her head in my lap than yours. Look where your fingers are. You have the habit of running your fingers through her hair. That's a dead giveaway that there is something going on between you two."

I huffed before moving to the seat across from Bella as Alice slid in where I used to be, adding a pillow between Bella's head and her lap. In a few minutes Dad and Mom finished loading the luggage and we headed out to Seattle.

Bella was still out like a light as we arrived at the airport. I had to keep swatting Emmett's finger away, since he was trying to poke Bella awake, until Rosalie pinched his cheek really hard and told him to stop.

I was bummed when my father said that he was sitting beside Bella to make sure she was fine throughout the duration of the flight. I ended up sitting beside my mom since Alice glared at me when I tried to sit beside Jasper. Mom chuckled as she patted my knee as I took the seat beside her.

"You'll have plenty of time to be with her during the trip. I'll make sure to keep your father occupied. Don't forget that Bella and Alice aren't 21 yet. I'm sure Bella won't cause any trouble but you all need to keep an eye out on Alice. I wish Aro didn't book us a hotel in the French Quarter, surrounded by bars and drunks. I realize its where all you young people want to be at but it worries me. I don't want to see either of them consuming alcohol."

"Don't worry, Mom. I think our little pixie is more interested in a certain someone than going wild in New Orleans," I assured her, although I wasn't really all that positive I could keep the little pixie out of trouble. Mom's mouth shaped into an "O" when the realization hit her.

"Jasper? Of course," Mom said slapping her forehead. She probably would've looked like Homer Simpson if she had said "D'oh!" instead. "I should've known. Alice always carried a torch for him. Do you think he's interested in her?"

"I've been too preoccupied to pay attention to them. It feels a little weird though; things would get really awkward if it didn't work out between them. Other than that I trust him more than anyone else and am sure he wouldn't purposely hurt Alice. I'm more worried about Alice hurting him. I just hope she doesn't lose interest in him once she really gets to know him."

"Your sister is very protective of people she cares about. Even if things don't work out between Jasper and her I think she'll do everything in her power to make sure things remain the same between you, Jasper, and Bella. As her mother I'll vouch for that," Mom said, squeezing my shoulder.

"I sincerely hope so. I wouldn't want Bella in a situation where she would have to choose between Jasper and Alice."

"I doubt it will come to that. Alice wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the friendship she has with Bella and she knows how important Jasper is to Bella," Mom said and I smiled nodding.

"So what are we doing while we're in New Orleans? I assume you ladies have every little detail planned?"

"Actually Emmett is really excited to be our tour guide. He says he knows New Orleans inside and out," Mom said grinning. I had some serious doubts as I didn't think Emmett knew any place other than bars and strip clubs.

Half an hour before we landed in Denver, Bella woke up and started munching on the bag of chips she brought. I saw Dad smiling as she offered him some of her munchies. Once we landed in Denver, Emmett and Bella said they were hungry so we all stopped at the food court to grab some burgers and fries.

The next leg of our journey wasn't too bad, but we were all relieved to board the limo to our hotel. Thanks to Aro, the hotel was upscale with an atmosphere that had a mixture of European flair and Southern charm. Aro booked us five rooms, one for my parents, another for Bella and Alice, Rosalie and Emmett, Alec and Felix, and Jasper and me. Since Bella and Alice wanted a room with the balcony facing Bourbon Street and Jasper and I also didn't mind where our rooms faced, so we got the room connected to Bella and Alice's. Both Mom and Rosalie chose the rooms facing the courtyard so that it would be quieter but Emmett didn't seem too thrilled and bitched that it wasn't fair that the rest of us had rooms facing the street where all the fun happened. My parents decided to relax at the hotel until dinner while the rest of us decided to go for a walk around town.

As soon as we left the lobby, Rosalie and Emmett took off to hit the bar. "Well ladies, what would you like to do first?" Jasper asked winking at Bella and Alice.

"I could go for ice cream or anything sweet," Bella said and glanced at Alice.

"I don't know. I kind of need to move my legs. How about you and Edward go to a café while Jasper and I go check out the town?" Alice suggested, pleading with her eyes to let them go off on their own.

"Sounds good," I replied before Bella could respond, Alice grabbed Jasper's hand and headed off down the street.

"Well, that leaves just the two of us. Look there's a nice café over there," I said pointing to a café nestled in a courtyard.

"Café Amelie. The name sounds promising. It looks really romantic too. Well maybe we'll get to go on our first date today," Bella said blushing. I suddenly became very nervous as I really didn't have anything planned and I wanted our first date to be perfect.

The cobblestone garden courtyard of Café Amelie was beautiful and the sky was clear. It was really a perfect date day. I noticed Alec and Felix sat a few tables away from us and heard them ordering coffee. Bella chose something called a Melting Chocolate Cake and I ordered Apple crumble a la mode so that Bella could have some of mine as well. I just loved seeing her eyes twinkle when she was digging into her sinful indulgence.

"Mmmm. This is heavenly. How's yours?" Bella asked with chocolate ice cream on the corner of her lips. I leaned in and kissed her licking off the chocolate on her lips.

"I agree. You taste heavenly; you're definitely my favorite dessert. Here try my apple crumble," I said before spooning some of it with a bit of ice cream and leaning towards her, holding the spoon to her mouth. She took the bite and then licked my nose giggling.

"Hey, I don't think I had anything on my nose," I said before licking her nose back. I was really turning into a pussy but I was surprised that I didn't mind it. In fact I was really enjoying this new me. "You're becoming my favorite dessert as well." Bella responded shyly.

Once we were done eating we decided to take a stroll down the street occasionally stopping to peek in the stores. Bella giggled and wanted to check out the store called "Witchy Living."

After we entered the store a little Chihuahua trotted over to Bella and glanced at her as if he was asking to be petted. We learned from the owner that he was a Witchihuahua named Bitty Bobb and that he had his own MySpace page with a lot of fans. Both Bella and I weren't very knowledgeable of witchcraft but Bella found some herbal tea she liked so once we purchased her tea we said bye to Bitty Bobb and left the store.

We headed off to Decatur Street to check out French Market where Bella had been dying to go since we first started researching New Orleans attractions the night of her birthday party. Bella quickly spotted a flea market and pointed excitedly at it asking me to take her there.

Bella picked out some Cajun cookbooks, hand painted postcards, and T shirts for her father. Then we went through the little stores in French Market where she picked up items that were made in the French Quarter such as French Quarter candles, Scratchmo's Creole mustard, and salt and pepper shakers with pictures of Tabasco and crabs and shrimp. Bella looked so enthralled with all the things the stores were selling.

"My mom would have loved shopping here," Bella said wistfully and I nodded smiling at her. I could easily imagine Bella and her mother having a blast here. We stopped at a café to grab something to drink and to discuss what we wanted to do next.

"Do you want to ride the street car?" I asked her as I noticed her glancing at them for a while now.

"Do you think I could manage?" Bella asked looking hopeful.

"Already checked. Canal and Riverfront lines are wheelchair accessible," I answered smiling.

"Yay!" Bella said pumping her fist in the air causing Felix and Alec to stand up from their seats thinking something happened. I quickly signaled to them that everything was fine and they look relieved and sat back down.

"Oops," Bella said giggling.

Before we headed off to the street car I got a call from Mom telling us that we were on our own for the evening as Rosalie and Emmett were apparently too hammered to go out to dinner and that Mom and Dad were going on a Cajun cooking dinner class tour and wouldn't be available for dinner. I remembered my mom mentioning about a B&B called House on Bayou Road that was originally a Creole plantation that held half day cooking classes for lunch and dinner. They were on a waiting list so I assumed they got lucky.

I was more than happy with this change as it meant that Bella and I could dine together alone unless the little pixie wanted to join us for dinner, which I highly doubted as I was sure Alice wouldn't miss any opportunity to spend time with Jasper alone.

"Mom said we're on our own for dinner. We could still go to the fancy restaurant they reserved for dinner tonight or we could go somewhere much more casual."

"Definitely casual."

"Sounds good to me. Should I call Alice to see if they want to join us for dinner?" I asked hoping Bella would want to just dine alone with me.

"Seriously? Why would we want to do that? We're on a date!" Bella feigned like she was upset but busted out laughing immediately after finishing her sentence.

"I think I know the perfect place right in the French Quarter. I heard they have the best burgers in New Orleans. We'll go there after we ride the street car then," I said as I helped Bella out of the café and headed towards the street car.

"Awesome! Best burger in New Orleans? I sooooo can't wait! You're so perfect. You know everything I like," Bella gushed and squeezed my hand.

"I'm sure we can have some Cajun food if you'd rather do that?"

"I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to try Cajun food while we're here. Let's go for the burgers!" Bella bounced her good leg excitedly. One of the things I loved about Bella was that everything excited her. It boosted my ego whenever she told me I was perfect even though I knew I was far from perfect. There were many four and five star restaurants in New Orleans I could've taken her but I learned pretty early that Bella seemed to prefer fast food over fancy restaurants and I wanted to do what made her happy; even if it meant that I needed to eat artery clogging food. I couldn't metabolize food as quickly as her so I was sure I would have to start exercising and eating healthier once we were back home.

With some assistance from Felix and Alec we boarded the street car without any hassle. I carried her in my arms while Felix and Alec carried her wheel chair and our shopping bags into the street car so we didn't have to ask the driver for any assistance.

I had noticed Alec and Felix taking candid shots of Bella and me since we stepped out of the hotel. "Do you know why Felix and Alec are taking our pictures?" I whispered into her ear a little wigged out.

"Oh, I asked them to so that I can have pictures of you and me together without us posing. I'm a firm believer of candid shots. Posed shots are nice too but I don't think they capture the moment as much as candid shots do. They were a bit reluctant at taking pictures since it would deter them from doing their job but with some coaxing I got them to agree as long as we didn't tell Aro or your parents about it," Bella said and stuck her tongue out.

"Tsk tsk," I said shaking my finger and Bella chuckled.

While Bella and I people watched from the street car, I received a text from Alice with the title "Warning Witches of the East are here!"

_Edward, be on the alert. Irina, Kate, and Tanya are all here. Jasper and I ran into them at Café Du Monde while we were waiting for our beignets. Evidently Denali Interactive spends a week here during Halloween as a company trip. Wished I had known this then I would've suggested going somewhere else. Oh and Jane is here too. I didn't know she was Tanya's BFF. Did you? I hope you don't mind that Jasper and I aren't joining you two for dinner. LMAO… as if you'd care! Have fun with Bella and tell her I'm gonna make her dish on what you guys did later tonight!_

Damn when I thought everything was going perfectly someone throws a monkey wrench in our perfectly planned vacation. "Who's the text from?" Bella asked worriedly, noticing my expression.

"It was from Alice. She warned me that she just ran into Irina, Kate, and Tanya and that Jane is here as well. Oh and Alice is dining alone with Jasper."

"Well I guess we'll probably run into them while we're here. No biggie. I'm sure they're too busy having fun so they won't have time to bother us," Bella said; rubbing soothing circles in my hand. I really hoped so but somewhere in my gut I felt like I needed to be on my toes. If the Denali Interactive people were here it meant their stupid cousin who hurt Bella in LA was here as well which made my blood boil. "Hey, relax. Don't let them ruin our trip," Bella said and leaned in to kiss me.

After our street car sightseeing trip, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. I wheeled Bella into the room she shared with Alice and was about to head to my room when Bella shyly called out to me.

"Ummm. I need some help freshening up," Bella said looking at her hands blushing.

I was so stupid; I had forgotten that either Mom or Alice had been assisting her whenever she needed to bathe, freshen up, and get dressed. "Sorry Bella. It slipped my mind. What can I get for you?"

"Would you put my hair up and help me out of this sweatshirt? I'm wearing a tank top underneath so it's all good. Oh and can you grab me a wet towel so that I can wipe my face?"

"I can do better than that," I said smiling at Bella.

I gently helped Bella out of her sweatshirt and felt my heart racing seeing her in just a tank top. I've seen her in a bathing suit before but for some reason this scenario seemed really erotic and almost felt like I was seeing Bella naked.

I wet several towels with warm water and closed the lid of the toilet and sat on it. I pulled Bella towards me and put her hair up. I gently wiped her face with one of the towels, and then changed the towel to wipe her neck, arms, and hands. I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest as this was really my first time to touch Bella this way. She was just so soft and felt so delicate. Her good arm was firm and tight but the arm in the cast seemed much softer and thinner. She probably lost some muscle mass in that arm as she hadn't been using it much since the accident. Feeling her weak arm made me feel more protective of her.

This small act of helping her freshen up felt more intimate than having sex with someone I didn't care about. I pulled out the clip that held her hair up and ran my fingers through the brown locks. They were so soft and silky and I just wanted to bury my face in them.

I was so turned on I could no longer stop myself. I leaned in and kissed her. This wasn't a haste kiss or a peck on the lips. Bella wrapped her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss. I lifted her out of her wheelchair and carried her to the bed. I slid on the bed with her in my lap and continued to kiss. She ran her fingers through my hair and it felt so good. Everything about her was gentle, soft and delicate. My hand explored her shoulder and arm before traveling slowly to her waist. I slipped my hand under the hem of her tank top and caressed her back. I started kissing her neck and descended to her collarbone on my way to her cleavage. Then I noticed that she stopped breathing.

"Breathe Bella," I whispered as I sucked on the soft mound peeking out from above the tank top. Her tiny shoulders were shaking from nervousness so I immediately stopped kissing her. "As much as I want to continue this I have to stop now or I wouldn't be able to stop later. I think I should help you get dressed for dinner," I said as I shifted her off my lap.

I didn't want her first experience to happen when she was in casts. Everyone remembered their first experience and I wanted hers to be as perfect as it could possibly be. I was a man with plenty of experience who could make her first time be enjoyable, or at least less painful or awkward than most first time experiences.

I got out of bed and asked her what she wanted me to get out of her suitcase. She pointed to a royal blue cashmere sweater that had slits on the side of the sleeves so I got the sweater out and helped her put it on. I was impressed with my mom for finding clothes that fit Bella even with her arm cast; ones that made her look even more gorgeous. Now that she was dressed I kissed her nose and told her to behave while I went to my room to change.

I went to the door that connected my room to hers and shut the door and exhaled loudly. I don't know why I was so nervous. I felt like a teenager who didn't have much experience with women. What was so different about Bella that would cause me to feel this way? It almost felt like I didn't know what to do and I wondered if my feelings for her were causing all this anxiety. I realize this is the first time that I've ever felt so strongly about someone but was unsure whether my strong feelings could be the cause of my acting the way I did. Despite my nervousness I was so horny; I was afraid I would die from blue balls so I jumped into the shower and took care of the problem as quickly as possible so that Bella wouldn't wonder what was taking so long. I quickly changed into another shirt, grabbed a hoodie, and headed back to Bella's room.

Once I was in Bella's room we immediately headed out to dinner. Bella was extremely excited to try the burgers at Yo Mama's. As soon as I entered Yo Mama's Bar and Grill, I questioned whether this was an appropriate place to take someone of Bella's age, but since we were in New Orleans and our hotel was in the heart of French Quarter, I decided to ignore the fact that the place was rather dark with some very kinky décor like S&M gear, stripper pole, and picture of lions mating, among others. Bella giggled pointing at the mannequin on the shelf with its dress hiked up exposing its ass covered in a black thong towards the tables.

"I love New Orleans. Where else would you visit a burger joint who has a mannequin with its ass hanging out in a thong. I need to take a picture of this and show my dad," Bella laughed with tears in her eyes.

"Errr I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from showing the picture of this place to your father. He would probably think I corrupted your innocent mind and shoot me without hesitation," I said shivering at the thought that something very close to my joke was likely to happen if the Chief found out.

"Dad's cool you know. He'd have a laugh about this."

"He would if Emmett showed him the picture but would definitely not find it funny if he learned that you were in an establishment like this place."

"Awww. You're no fun," Bella pouted as she looked through the menu. "What do you recommend?"

"Well the reviews said that the Peanut Butter bacon burger was to die for. Oh and don't freak out that they serve baked potatoes with all the fixings instead of French fries."

Bella ordered the Peanut Butter bacon burger and I ordered a Texas BBQ burger just in case she didn't like her burger. Bella was confident she was going to love her burger but told me she would share some of hers with me.

A half pound burger with a huge baked potato was definitely too much for Bella so I ended up finishing a third of her burger. She was also very unhappy that she didn't have any room left for dessert. I kissed her forehead so that I could wipe the pout off her face and promised her I'll take her to a place that was famous for their pralines and peanut butter cups tomorrow.

As soon as we were done eating we headed back to the hotel so that we could have some alone time without Felix and Alec's eyes on us. They instructed us to keep the door open that connected Bella's room to theirs and to lock the door that connected my room to Bella's after I leave hers. I wasn't very happy with that idea but accepted it for the sake of Bella's safety.

We cuddled together on the bed and watched T.V. until I noticed Bella wincing when she moved her body.

"Is something wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?" I asked worriedly.

"It's nothing. I just get really sore from sitting in the wheelchair all day. Bad circulation I guess. Esme or Alice usually gives me a massage in the end of the day. I'll just ask Alice when she returns."

"Hey, I got wicked hands too you know," I said as I slid in behind Bella keeping her leaning against my chest between my legs. I slid my hands inside her sweater and gently started rubbing circles on her back and pressing my thumbs down her spine to her lower back.

"Mmmm. That feels really good. Are you sure your hands won't get tired?"

"I used to do a lot of this back when Emmett was in high school. He got injured quite often while playing sports and I learned a thing or two about Swedish massage and Shiatsu."

"A man of many talents. I'm a lucky girl to have you."

"I would do anything for my girlfriend," I said craning my neck to kiss her on her cheek.

"I'm your girlfriend?"

"Well I'd like to think so unless you object. We did have our first date you know," I said as I wrapped her with my arms and held her closer to me as I kissed her head.

"No objection boyfriend," Bella said chuckling. I noticed she was blushing as her cheek, neck, and chest were now deep crimson.

"I like the sound of that. Boyfriend. Bella Swan's boyfriend," I said smiling. Yup I was now officially a girl and I was proud of it.

After massaging her back, arms, legs, and feet, Bella was starting to doze off completely relaxed so I settled back under the covers with her in my arms. My perfect bubble burst when Alice came back arm in arm with Jasper.

"See you guys tomorrow. Good night!" Alice said jumping on Bella's bed forcing me to get out of her bed. "I need to help Bella get ready for bed. Out out!" Alice shooed Jasper and me out of the room. As soon as I left the room I locked the door as instructed.

**BPOV**

I was feeling like I was floating on a cloud. The massage was heavenly and it felt so good to be in Edward's arms. I wished Alice hadn't returned since I wasn't ready to part with him. I glared at Alice for forcing Edward to leave. I wished she had stayed out longer. She wasn't a minor so she could've stayed out later than 11 p.m. and it was only 10 p.m. still.

"Didn't you want to hang out with Jasper longer?"

"Is that your passive aggressive way of telling me that I interrupted your sweet time with my brother? I enjoyed being with Jasper but…"

"But what? What happened?"

"I don't think we were quite ready to be on our own yet. We didn't really know each other enough. I told him I'd be happy to do what he wanted to do so we went to the National World War II Museum. I felt like I was on a school field trip."

"Alice, you should've taken the lead. He's a geek like me. I'm sure he would've been just as happy if you took him to places you both would've enjoyed."

"Don't get me wrong. He was sweet and we had fun. I didn't want him to get a bad impression of me so I let him choose. Men like to be in control right?"

"Are you seriously asking me relationship advice? Talk to Rosalie. I can't help you with questions like that. I don't have any problem with my boyfriend. He knows what I like," I said smirking.

Alice squealed and gave me a hug. "Oh! You and my brother made it official. I'm so happy for you guys. You two are perfect! We'll get to be sisters soon!"

"Whoah! Hold your horses. We only went on our first date today and I have no plans of getting married at 18," I said laughing as I tried pushing Alice off me before she hugged me to death.

**A/N**

I hope you all had a great Christmas. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I just couldn't make time to make the changes JCook169 made for me with Christmas party and New Years Card preparation. I live in Japan and we have this custom of sending New Years post card, kind of similar to you all sending Christmas cards.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.

You think Bella and Edward's relationship is moving at a good pace?

Have a great New Year!


	17. Chapter 17 Karma is a &

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to my long distance friend and beta JCook169 for the amazing editing work and support she's been giving me throughout this story! You rock!

**Chapter 17 Karma is a #$%&! **

**BPOV**

After Alice shooed Edward and Lone out of the room, I could hardly stay awake so as soon as I gave Alice the recap of the day I spent with Edward, I quickly fell asleep.

I'm not sure how many hours I had been sleeping but I woke to someone shouting my name.

"Duckling... Duckling... I need to talk to you...," the person kept repeating. It took me a while to wake up and recognize that it was Lone calling out to me behind the door that connected our rooms.

I shifted myself off the bed, sliding into my wheelchair and went to answer Lone.

"What's wrong? Lone?"

"Jasper! You Idiot! You woke Bella up!" I heard Edward's angry voice in the background.

"Lone? What's wrong?" I repeated.

"I messed up..." Lone answered sniffling. I opened the door and found him crumpled on the floor.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. Jasper is shitfaced drunk right now. He was really depressed that his date with Alice didn't go well and has been trying to talk to you all night but Em, Rose, and I kept stopping him. I was taking a leak and didn't realize he was calling out to you. I'm so sorry," Edward explained sounding really apologetic.

"It's okay. Lone's been there for me many times. It's my turn to be there for him. Help me get him in his bed? "

"Bella, don't worry about it. It's 4 a.m. You should go back to sleep. I'm sure he'll fall asleep soon."

As I started to wheel myself into their room, I felt someone push my wheelchair. When I looked behind me, I realized it was Felix assisting me.

"Thanks, Felix."

"No problem. I just wanted to investigate the commotion. I take it that you're all fine here?" Felix asked and I nodded.

As soon as Felix wheeled me inside the room, he helped Edward carry Jasper to the bed.

As soon as Jasper was settled on his bed, Felix excused himself and told me to call him if I needed his help again.

"I'm so sorry he woke you up," Edward repeated as he lifted me out of my wheelchair, placing me onto Jasper's bed. Edward also reeked of booze. As soon as he moved my wheelchair away from the bed, he settled behind me on Jasper's bed so that I could lean on him.

"Did you guys go drinking?"

"Rose and Em called us to join them after we left you girls' room last night. We just came back a little while ago."

"Lone, I'm here. What did you want to talk about?" I asked, brushing his hair out of his tear streaked face.

"Duckling! I knew you'd come. Thank you, thank you, thank you,.." Lone repeated as he wrapped his arms around my waist and snuggled up to me. I felt a little uncomfortable as he was rubbing his cheek on my thigh and his face was so close to my crotch. Edward growled and tried to force Jasper off of me but I glared at Edward and he backed off.

"Everything's going to be okay. Don't worry, Alice isn't mad at you," I said to Lone as I ran my fingers through his hair to try to calm him down.

"She didn't look like she was having fun. It was a disaster," Jasper sobbed before wiping his nose on my nightshirt.

"Ew, gross," I heard Edward say and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"It will be an easy fix If you just talk to her. Tell her you want to know more about her. Just take her to a nice coffee shop today."

"Okay," Jasper slurred before starting to snore.

"Errr Edward? I think Jasper fell asleep on me which means my job here is done," I said causing Edward to chuckle.

"Well, since you only just got here, why don't we snuggle for a bit and then I'll take you back to your room?"

"Sounds super!" I exclaimed before kissing him on his cheek.

Edward carried me in his arms over to his bed. He then brought over a clean T shirt for me to change into since Lone wiped his snot all over mine. I was faced with a huge dilemma as I wasn't wearing a bra. "Here, let me help you get out of your sleep shirt."

"Ummmm. I have a little problem. I'm not wearing a bra," I said blushing. Edward tilted his head not understanding why that was a problem until a little light went on in his head.

He leaned into me and kissed me on my forehead. "I'll close my eyes if that will make you feel more comfortable," He said winking.

I stared at him while he helped me out of my top to make sure he wasn't peeking. Blindly dressing someone proved to be a lot harder than I thought. We successfully took my shirt off but getting Edward's T shirt on without him opening his eyes was not going to work.

"Bella, I hate to break this to you, but I don't think I can help getting this shirt on you without looking. I 'm your boyfriend. You don't need to be nervous."

"Okay," I said in defeat.

Edward opened his eyes and smiled softly before gently placing his lips on mine. "You're so beautiful," he declared focusing his gaze into my eyes to keep his eyes from wandering to my chest. He quickly helped me put my head and arms through the T shirt while keeping his eyes on my face as much as possible. Once we were done he looked more relieved than I was.

I nestled my head into his chest and he pulled the covers over us and we snuggled together. Soon I started hearing soft snores from Edward. I poked him several times but he was dead asleep. I left my phone in my room so there was no way I could call Felix to help me back to the room even if he could break Edward's current death grip on me. I decided I was too comfortable in his arms and too tired to think of the consequences if someone found me in bed with Edward so I let sleep take over.

The incredibly awesome feeling of snuggling up to Edward with his arms wrapped around me, the warmth, and the occasional tightening of his arms whenever I shifted in my sleep ended abruptly when I heard shrieking like that of animals on a National Geographic show.

I found myself being bounced up and down on the bed like Regan on the Exorcist. I briefly started freaking out until I pulled myself together long enough to stick my head out of the covers to see what was going on whilst I clung on to Edward for security. Relief swept through me the minute I understood why I was being bounced on the bed and the feeling was quickly replaced by anger.

"What the hell Alice?" I yelled at the little pixie bouncing on the bed like the trampoline artists in Cirque du Soleil.

"This is payback for scaring the hell out of me when I found you missing from your bed. You almost gave me a heart attack. Felix came running into the room when I started screaming and explained to me that you went to visit Edward and Jasper early in the morning."

"What the fuck is going on? Alice! Stop it. My head hurts. If you don't stop I'm gonna puke all over you!" Edward yelled and threw a pillow at her.

"Grumpy much?" Alice retorted before starting to bounce back and forth between his side and mine.

"Alice! For fucks sake if you don't stop I swear to God, I'm gonna throw you over the balcony," Edward growled.

"You guys are so ungrateful even after I covered for you. Mom called to tell us that she's picking Bella and me up to take us to Friday lunch at Galatoire's so I told her I'd help Bella get ready. She could've come to the room with Dad you know."

"Thanks Alice, but it doesn't excuse you from bouncing on the bed. You could hurt Bella and cause her to stay in her casts longer," Edward explained wearily.

"Oh, you're right. You can go back to bed. I'll just help her into the wheelchair and take her back to our room," Alice said before jumping off the bed singing.

_Father Abraham had seven sons _

_Seven sons had Father Abraham_

_Well they couldn't laugh and they couldn't sing _

_All they did was go like this…_

"Shoot me," Edward said and covered his head with a pillow.

"Alice! Stop singing and just help me into the wheelchair," I ordered. I kissed Edward and told him I'll see him later in the evening as I was sure both he and Jasper wouldn't get out of bed until later because of their hangovers.

"Dad said that there is a tradition here called Friday lunch that isn't just on Friday. Mom said that Uncle Aro suggested we go and experience Friday lunch at Galatoire's. They're supposed to be really famous for this Friday lunch thing. They have it from Tuesday to Saturday starting at 11:30 but we have to get in line at least an hour before doors open to be able to get in at 11:30 which is why we need to hurry up and get dressed!" Alice explained excitedly.

Alice tore through my suitcase and pulled out a sleeveless, white knit dress and a matching bell sleeved cardigan and hung them up while she pulled out a little black dress for herself. "Why are we getting dressed up just to go to lunch?" I asked Alice which caused her to look at me as if I just blasphemed.

"It's not just a lunch. It's lunch at Galatoire's. It's the kind of establishment where men are required to wear a jacket and T shirts and shorts aren't allowed. The restaurant has been around for four generations. They even have items they were serving since 1905. Galatoire's is not just a restaurant but an experience. It's like we get to become part of their history!" Alice supplied enthusiastically. I wished I shared in her enthusiasm but to me lunch was just lunch.

When Carlisle and Esme showed up at our door, I noticed how great they looked together with Esme wearing a 70's Jackie O style suit and Carlisle sported a nice silver gray one. Just after 10 a.m., we approached Galatoire's and noticed from the opposite direction, 5 familiar-looking faces. I heard Alice shriek, "the wicked bitches of the East," pointing at them.

"Alice! Don't be so rude. Carlisle, look, it's Eleazar, Irina, Kate, Tanya, and Jane," Esme said tapping his shoulder to get his attention.

"I wonder if they're also planning to dine at Galatoire's," Carlisle mused as he watched them walking towards the restaurant.

"We need reinforcements. I'm gonna call Rose," Alice whispered, pulling out her phone.

"I don't think she'd be awake yet. You saw how terrible Edward looked after only drinking last night but Rose and Emmett had been drinking since noon yesterday."

"I know but we need her. She's the only one who can put Irina and Tanya in their place." Alice covered her mouth while she talked to Rose but I heard her telling Rose to get here ASAP before hanging up the phone.

"Why don't we call Edward and Jasper too?"

"Get real, Bella! Sheesh! Tanya would be all over our boys if they were here."

"Oh, I didn't think of that." I was glad at least her mind was functioning because mine sure wasn't. I was still tired and missed the comfort of Edward's bed.

Both the Denalis and we approached the line forming for the Friday lunch at Galatoire's. Eleazar noticed first and greeted Carlisle and Esme. Then Kate smiled and waved at us. I felt chills run down my spine when I saw how cold Tanya, Irina, and Jane's eyes were when they noticed me. While they walked towards us I saw Tanya whisper something into Jane's ear and they both grinned maliciously. Before I could comprehend what was going to happen, Tanya took the lid off the drink she was holding and I saw steam rise from the cup. Then Tanya purposely feigned like she was about to trip squeezing the cup right in front of me.

When realization hit me, I knew it was too late, so I shut my eyes and braced. Then I heard a piercing scream that didn't belong to me. I realized the hot steaming coffee hadn't splashed onto me when I opened my eyes. Tanya hadn't fallen; Felix and Alec held her upright with their arms around hers and instead of the hot liquid splashing on me, it was running down the front of her micro mini dress to her exposed legs.

Tanya screamed and cried. Carlisle went into doctor mode and started checking her legs. He told Eleazar that it was a second degree burn but since it covered a large area of her legs it would be better if she got treated at the hospital. Eleazar quickly called for his car. He told Jane, Irina, and Kate to just stay and that he'd take Tanya to the hospital himself since the injury wasn't too serious. I felt bummed as I hoped that they would all leave.

Rosalie arrived right after Eleazar left with Tanya. "Was that Tanya and Eleazar? What happened?" Rosalie puffed, out of breath from hurrying all the way to the restaurant from the hotel. She bent her body slightly forward and rested her hands on her thighs trying to catch her breath.

"She must have lost her balance or something which caused her to trip and spilled coffee all down her legs," Kate explained to Rosalie. It seemed like Kate had no idea that Tanya's plan was to spill coffee on me and not on herself. Tanya probably didn't realize that Felix and Alec were here. Just witnessing how quick they responded to the situation made me even more appreciative of them and how they had my back. I made a mental note to get something for them while I was here to properly thank them for all that they were doing to ensure my safety.

While the Denali women were talking to Carlisle, Esme approached me. "Are you all right? Be honest with me. Was I just imagining things or was Tanya attempting to spill coffee on you on purpose?"

"Mom, I saw it too. You're not imagining," Alice answered for me.

"What? Is that what that bitch tried to pull?" Rosalie growled.

"I think we should go. We'll leave Carlisle here and go somewhere nice ourselves," Esme said looking really angry now that she had confirmation that Tanya was trying to hurt me.

"Please. No harm no foul. I have Felix and Alec to protect me. I want to see what the hype is about of this place," I maintained as I squeezed her hand to assure her that I was fine with everything. What Tanya attempted to do to me was nothing compared to the hell I went through with Phil. A pathetic childish prank wasn't going to shake me one bit.

"If you say so Bella but know that we can leave anytime you want," Esme promised hugging me.

I felt relaxed as the doors opened and we were seated in the restaurant. It was unfortunate that Carlisle didn't know what happened so he let the Denalis join our table. I don't know about Irina and Kate but I was sure Jane was in on the prank Tanya just tried to pull. Jane was a hard person to read because she was nice to me when Aro was around but anytime he wasn't she acted really cold to me. I had no idea what I ever did to elicit that kind of reaction from her.

Esme took control and directed the seating. She placed Felix at the far end of the table with me beside him and Esme beside me. She told Carlisle to sit beside her and seated Jane beside Carlisle. Across from Felix, she placed Alec, Alice, Rosalie, Kate and Irina. Once Esme looked satisfied with the seating arrangement, Carlisle took over and ordered an assortment of appetizers and drinks. Alice and I got stuck with sparkling mineral water but Felix and Alec were on the job so they also opted for the sparkling water while Carlisle ordered champagne for the rest of them.

Once our waiter brought our appetizers he started to tell us what each of the dishes were but he lost me at Shrimp Remoulade. I didn't have the slightest clue what it was until Felix started to explain very quietly in a volume only people very close to us could hear.

"That dish right there is Shrimp Remoulade. Remoulade is very similar to tartar sauce. The one to the right is Canapé Lorenzo. Crabmeat cooked in cream sauce and shallot. That dish is Crabmeat Yvonne. Basically it's crabmeat sautéed with artichokes and mushrooms. To the right of that dish is Shrimp Etouffée. Simply put it's stewed shrimp. I'm sure I don't need to explain the potato soufflé and the gumbo," Felix explained smiling. I was pleasantly surprised at how knowledgeable Felix was with the Creole cuisine as Alice was also listening intently to Felix's explanation. I was relieved that I wasn't the only one unaccustomed to these dishes.

"I ordered five bowls each of the turtle soup and gumbo. Who wants to try the turtle soup?" Carlisle asked, grinning at Alice.

"Gumbo for me!" Alice answered immediately. I also jumped on the gumbo wagon as Alice was making faces at the turtle soup. I had no idea what turtle soup was. Did it really have turtle meat in it? Or was it like chocolate turtles that didn't actually contain turtles?

"What's a turtle soup?" I whispered into Felix's ear.

"Soup with turtle meat." Felix answered like it was no big deal. I tried not to make a wigged out face so that I wouldn't offend anyone. Maybe this soup was a delicacy but I wasn't feeling adventurous today.

Carlisle, Felix, Rosalie, Irina, and Kate opted to choose the turtle soup while the rest of us were more than happy with the gumbo. The turtle soup was the ice breaker as everyone seemed to relax and started to crack jokes about eating Squirt from Finding Nemo.

"Alice, how's U-Dub?" Irina asked.

"Oh I haven't started yet. I'm waiting to start the Spring Semester with Bella," Alice replied with the fakest smile plastered on her face.

"Oh. You're such a great friend to postpone school until Bella is all better. I wish I had a bestie like you," Kate said smiling.

"Bella wasn't the prime reason I decided to postpone. I wanted to relax a bit and travel before I started college."

"Travel and relaxing are always nice and there's no need to rush. Plus you can always work at Volturi, or if Aro doesn't hire you, there is always Denali Interactive," Irina offered chuckling although her sense of humor didn't seem to amuse Esme at all as she was now glaring at her.

"So Bella, how have you been lately? Have you adjusted to living with your father?" Jane asked. I was surprised she was even interested in knowing about my situation.

"They're like peas in a pod. You should've seen how attached they were at her birthday party. They're so sweet together," Rosalie answered before I could even open my mouth.

"That's awesome. Are you going to come visit us in Seattle soon?" Jane continued.

"I'm sure she'd love to but it's not so easy for her to get around in the casts so it probably will be a while yet until she could travel to Seattle." Esme answered for me this time.

I was starting to feel a little irritated that others were answering for me. I was perfectly capable of handling things on my own but I understood they just wanted to protect me since they were both very angry at Tanya's prank which drove them to act like Mama bears.

"She was able to travel here, why wouldn't she be able to travel to Seattle?" Jane commented trying to make her point.

"This is a special occasion so we were able to convince her dad to let her come. It's part of her birthday present," Alice answered irritably.

"Well, I'm sure Aro would love to see you at the office so I hope you'll be able to move around freely soon," Jane said sweetly but her eyes were really cold demonstrating that she didn't give a rats ass about me.

"How are things with your mother?" Esme asked, directing the question at Kate and Irina.

"She's doing great. Unfortunately she couldn't accompany us on this trip as she's vacationing in Bahamas with her friends right now."

"Oh Carlisle, we should go to Bahamas next chance we get," Esme suggested, smiling at Carlisle but anyone could tell Esme's smile wasn't genuine. It just seemed like Esme changed the subject so that their attention wasn't on me anymore.

After that, Carlisle started to converse a lot more with just Kate, Irina and Jane. He probably picked up on the fact that his wife wasn't thrilled with them talking to me.

When we were almost done with the appetizers, our waiter returned giving us suggestions of the possible entrées. Again I had no clue what most of the dishes were so I whispered to Felix asking for a simple, preferably chicken recommendation since I had enough seafood from the appetizers.

"I'd try the Chicken Clemenceau. It's chicken breast and Portobello mushrooms sautéed in butter with garlic, minced onions, and sweet peas. I think you'll enjoy it."

"Great! Chicken Clemenceau for me then," I said and Alice agreed that she would like the same.

Once our entrées arrived, the conversation between Carlisle, Kate, Irina and Jane died down and their focus was directed towards our side of the table again.

"So, Alice, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to travel a little before you start college. You know, you and Bella should visit our family for New Year's Eve. I'm sure you've seen how crazy and exciting it gets in the Big Apple on New Year's Eve. I'm sure not much goes on in Forks. Carlisle, Esme, if you're worried about them you should come as well, even better, your whole family and Bella's father should come. I'm sure Mom and Dad would love to see you all. They feel really bad about what happened in LA and this would give them the perfect opportunity to make up for that." Irina suggested.

Alice perked up after hearing Irina's suggestion. New York sounded exciting. I saw New York landmarks in many movies and have always wanted to see the city with my own eyes. New York was one of the places I considered going to college before Aro proposed to paying for my tuition for college. I couldn't pass up free tuition so I settled on going to U-Dub but this would be the perfect opportunity for me to see the sights.

"Well we had planned on spending Christmas and New Year's in Forks, but New York does sound appealing. What do you think, Carlisle?" Esme asked looking quite excited.

"I don't know Esme. I'm sure Charlie would like to spend his first Christmas with Bella at home in Forks but I'll speak to him. It's probably too late to find a hotel room now anyway."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that! Denali Interactive always books plenty of rooms for out of state visitors. If you all are interested, just give a call to Dad or Mom and they'd be more than happy to accommodate you all; you're practically family afterall," Kate said smiling.

It seemed like the subject of travelling to New York for New Year's excited everyone. I really hoped my dad would be interested as well. I was pretty sure with Alice's skill of persuasion, we could convince him to travel to New York or at least let me go with the Cullens.

For another solid two hours the Denalis described all the things that happened during New Year's Eve and all kinds of places to visit and eat. Time flew by and we realized that it was past 3 p.m. Businessmen around us didn't look like they were leaving in the near future either. This whole Friday lunch thing had been described as being an all day dining experience and I found that was not a joke. People literally spent the whole day eating, drinking, and enjoying each others' company.

We were tourists so we had better things to do than spending the whole day in a restaurant so Carlisle asked for the check and we left shortly after we said goodbye to the Denalis. Carlisle asked Kate to give him a call to update him about Tanya's condition. Esme didn't seem happy about that but I was sure she'd have a talk with Carlisle to let him know what really happened.

"So girls, how about we go on a steamboat ride? We can call the boys, although I have a feeling they might not be able to stomach a steamboat ride with their hangover," Carlisle said chuckling.

"They're coming no matter what!" Rose warned, dialing Emmett, huffing.

I felt bad that Edward might be a bit nauseous on a steamboat cruise but the selfish part of me wanted to experience it with him. It would also be a great opportunity for Jasper to make things better between him and Alice. This cruise was something I was sure they both would enjoy.

We got confirmation from Rose that all three of them were joining us for the cruise. I sincerely hoped they were really feeling up to it as I didn't want to see anyone tossing their cookies. Carlisle made the arrangements and we were all set to board the steamboat for the dinner cruise at 6 p.m.

We still had a few hours to kill before the cruise so we decided to return to the hotel to change into something comfortable for the cruise and relax until it was time to leave.

**EPOV**

Jasper looked pale and had dark circles around his eyes even after he showered. In other words, he looked like shit. "Hey, you can skip the cruise if you want," I suggested. Jasper shook his head and told me that he was fine.

While we were getting dressed, I heard Alice and Bella laughing in their room. "You should apologize to Bella when you see her."

"Apologize? Why? Did I do something?"

"Jackass! You don't remember? You woke Bella up at 4 in the morning bitching to her how you screwed up the date with Alice."

"No shit! You're just pulling my leg right?"

"You really don't remember?"

"Oh God. You're serious. Shoot me!" Jasper moaned as he held his head in his hands.

"I'm sure Bella didn't mind but it would be nice if you showed her some appreciation."

"Crap. Why didn't you stop me?"

"I would've if I had known. I was taking a leak and when I came out you were already talking to Bella."

"Do you think Bella told Alice how stupid I acted?"

"I don't think Bella's the type but knowing Alice I'm sure she asked Bella what she was doing in my bed this morning."

"What? Bella was in your bed?" Jasper asked glaring at me. "What did you do to her? he growled.

"Calm down Whitlock. Nothing happened. We just snuggled and fell asleep." Jasper still glared looking unconvinced.

The girls must've heard our voices as Alice came and knocked on our door. "Hey guys. Want some company?"

"Come on in, Alice. I'll go and help Bella," I said to let them have some alone time to deal with the aftermath of their disastrous date.

I jumped on Bella's bed and we snuggled and watched T.V. until it was time to leave for the steamboat cruise.

We all gathered in the lobby and loaded into the limo to catch the steamboat ride. Once we boarded the steamboat we spotted Eleazar and some of the other Directors from Denali Interactive.

"Ya just can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone from Denali Interactive," Rosalie mumbled. Dad and Mom went to join Eleazar while we stayed on the deck.

"I hope the wicked bitches of the East aren't here," Alice said shaking her head.

Then I heard a squeal and my name called out. "Edward! Edward! You're here!" I sighed and turned around to face none other than Tanya.

Tanya came swinging her hips towards me like she was walking the runway and right as she went past Rosalie I saw Rosalie flick something in front of Tanya and Tanya slipped and came flying on the deck sliding towards me.

"It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SuperTan!" I heard Emmett yell pumping his fist.

Unfortunately it was quite windy and her skirt got flipped over exposing her thong clad ass as she slid. I was frozen from shock until Emmett and Rosalie started laughing with tears running down their faces. Tanya's face was beet red and when I looked up Irina, Kate, and Jane were also standing beside Emmett and Rosalie laughing their ass off. I glanced around and saw Jasper, Alice and Bella with their jaw dropped, still in shock.

"Get up, Tan. This apparently is not your day," Jane said shaking her head laughing as she helped Tanya up and fixed her skirt so that her ass was no longer exposed to everyone around. Tanya glared at all of us and left the deck with Jane leaving Kate and Irina with us.

"Karma is a bitch," Rosalie commented giggling.

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. January was a really busy month for me. I'm sorry for the delay in updating.

New Years is a really big deal here in Japan, visiting the shrine or temple depending on your religion, New Years meal etc. Most businesses are closed until the 3rd except for retail, food, and hotels during those days. Department stores start their New Year sales from the 2nd and people line up to purchase the grab bags. You can safely assume I was one of the people in line with my sister.

We celebrated my Mom's bday on the 2nd and once work started again my boss's father passed away so we attended the wake and funeral. The evening of the funeral, my best friend and I went on a trip to Osaka which is a city in the western part of Japan. I finally got to go to Universal Studio Japan there. It's their 10th anniversary this year. It was a little weird as I've been to the one in Florida and LA but had never been to the one in Japan until now.

I'm really sorry I couldn't update sooner. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts!


	18. Chapter 18 Double Date

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

I couldn't have pulled this chapter off without all the help I received from my beta JCook169. She's done a fabulous job with this chapter and saved me from Edward sounding too feminine. Thanks!

**Chapter 18****Double Date **

**BPOV**

"Would you care to explain what happened to Tanya? Why do I get the feeling what just happened to her on the deck was not an accident?" Esme crossed her arm and glared at us. "I'm waiting," she said as she stared into our eyes one by one until she reached Rose's who stood with her arms crossed cocking her brow at Esme as if to challenge her.

They seemed to be locked in their staring contest until finally Esme broke, sighing and shook her head. "All right. You kids follow me. Let's all sit down and have dinner," she instructed and we followed behind her to the dining room on the steamboat. As soon as we sat down and our meal was served, Carlisle mentioned there was something urgent he needed to discuss with us.

"After hearing about this morning's incident involving Tanya, and with what we just witnessed, Esme and I decided to shorten this trip and take Bella and Alice back with us to Seattle and finish the vacation there. We will catch as much of the Halloween parade as we can tomorrow but regardless, we will be leaving on the red eye tomorrow night. Now it's up to the rest of you kids to determine if you want to come back to Seattle with us or stay in New Orleans as planned," Carlisle explained looking for a reaction from them.

Rosalie and Emmett looked at each other and communicated with just their eyes and as soon as Rose shook her head, Emmett replied that they'll be staying behind. Both Jasper and Edward said that they've had enough fun here and would travel with us back to Seattle.

"Well that settles it. We'll go and make the necessary arrangements," Carlisle said before he and Esme left to take care of the flight changes and hotel arrangements for Seattle.

"You know, you don't have to go back to Seattle just because I am," I said to Edward feeling like I was to blame for ending this trip early.

"Bella, I want to since I'm only here because you are. I'm sure we'll have just as much fun back in Seattle. Maybe you can come over to my apartment. How does that sound?"

"I'd like that."

"That sounds pretty fun. Let's have a party at your place," Alice suggested grinning.

"Hey, the offer doesn't extend to you, pixie."

"Like Mom would let only Bella go to _your _place. What kind of excuse were you going to come up with?" Alice commented sticking her tongue out at Edward.

"She's right. There's really no reason for me to go to your place without raising some red flags," I added.

"We can tell Mom that we want to take Bella out sightseeing and end up at your place for a movie. I'm sure I'll be able to think of something to make Dad and Mom do something on their own."

"Well, work your magic, Alice. We're counting on you," Jasper said squeezing her hand.

"That settles it. Let's go dancing," Alice said pulling Jasper out of his chair.

"Let's go too," Rose said and hooking her arm on Emmett's.

Once they all left Edward suggested we go sit out on the deck. It was getting a little chilly but I had a throw blanket packed in my backpack so Edward draped it over me and wheeled me out to the deck.

"Is there something you want to do while we're in Seattle?"

"What's there to do?"

"Well, we could ride the Ducks?"

"Ducks? Are you teasing me cuz Lone calls me Duckling?"

"No no no. I meant the amphibious landing craft. It's called Ride the Ducks of Seattle. You tour Seattle by water and land in a refurbished WWII amphibious landing craft. I've never been on it in Seattle but I did in London. I think it could be fun."

"Hmmm, that actually doesn't seem so bad," I said laughing.

"Okay, so we can start with the Ducks, have lunch, drive around a bit and head to my place."

"Super!"

**RPOV**

I felt a little guilty for suggesting Em and I stay behind and finishing the trip here in New Orleans instead of flying back to Seattle together. Something about the Denalis didn't sit right with me especially after they invited us to spend New Year's with them in New York. All this time I've known them since I got together with Emmett, they had never invited us. What changed? Why were they so interested in Bella?

I just couldn't shake this bad feeling off. Kate had mentioned that Denali Interactive people were also attending the Vampire Ball so I was hoping to get a chance to see them again and see if they'd try to ask me more about Bella.

I recalled Emmett telling me that he got in a little thing with Jasper when they were in LA when he said a little too much about Bella to Irina and Kate. Even today during lunch they seemed to be overly interested in how things were for Bella. The Denali's definitely weren't the type to give a damn about others so their keen interest in Bella caused me to be very suspicious of them. What was in it for them?

My thoughts were interrupted when Em announced we arrived at the ball. I straightened my yellowish golden ball gown that we rented before coming out here which was a replica of the gown Gwyneth Paltrow wore in Shakespeare in Love. Em was a little too bulky to pull off the kind of suit Joseph Fiennes wore in the movie so he just stuck to wearing a frilly white shirt and dark pants.

As soon as we entered Kate spotted us and waved to us to join them. "Do we have to hang out with them?" Em said pouting.

"I've got some investigating to do."

"Be careful Rosie. You don't know what they have up their sleeves."

"Oh come on, Em. They're no match for me. How bad could they be?"

"Hey guys. Oh? Where is the rest of your family?" Kate asked looking surprised.

"They all left early."

"Oh! What a shame. I wanted a dance with Edward," Tanya said pouting.

"Maybe that's why they left early. They didn't want to see your ugly face again," Kate said teasing her sister. Tanya huffed and said she was going to the bar to grab another drink.

"Why the sudden change of plans?" Irina muttered sounding a little too bummed for my taste.

"Did they return to Forks or will they be seeing Aro?" Jane asked nervously.

"Don't worry Jane. Aro won't need you as they won't be going to the Volturi headquarters," I explained and Jane instantly looked relieved. I could understand her reaction as if Aro was going to be in the office he would be pissed if she wasn't there to attend to him.

"Did something happen to Bella?" Kate asked.

"Why would you say that?" I asked sounding a little too harsh. I was getting a little irritated at the twenty questions.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I mentioned Bella because she was the one who looked most susceptible to wearing herself out or come down with something because of her condition. No need to get your panties in a bunch," Kate countered shrugging her shoulders.

"That's too bad. I think my dad wanted to spend a little more time with Esme and Carlisle and Tanya really wanted to spend some time with Edward," Irina said but I could tell her words were empty. She never cared about others. There was no reason to start now.

"Well I think we're going to go and mingle with the rest of the people from our company," Irina announced pulling Jane along with her. Hmmm. Evidently Em and I were clearly of no interest to them.

"How about we three go and hit the bar?" Kate asked pointing to the bar.

"Hell yeah. Let's go," Em agreed pulling me while Kate led the way.

While we sat at the bar drinking, I noticed Irina dancing with an African American man in dreads. "Who's that?" I asked Kate pointing my face towards Irina and the man.

"Oh that's Laurent. Irina's boyfriend."

"How come we never saw him until today?"

"Really? We arrived here together but I guess come to think of it he hasn't been spending that much time with Irina since he got here. But then again he probably didn't want to be the only guy amongst us girls."

"Does he work at Denali Interactive?" Kate nodded. "What does he do?" Now it was my turn ask the questions.

"Oh he's a special project programmer."

"What's that?" Em asked looking confused. "You guys have special projects and not so special projects?" Em chuckled.

"You're so funny, Em," Kate said chuckling. "Special projects are part of Irina's R&D department. I'm sure Volturi Games does R&D too. Irina gets a certain budget to head series of projects that only a few select numbers of people know about it until it's ready. I'm not part of it so I don't really know the details on what she's working on and most of these projects never see the light of day anyway. Most of the ideas get canned before it even gets brought up to the review team for future releases."

"Interesting. So it's more like a secret project that flies under the radar," I said looking for a reaction from Kate.

"I guess you could say that," Kate said shrugging her shoulders.

"Hey Em. Hey Rose. What's new? I heard from some of the guys that you two were also here in New Orleans," Matt, one of the sales guys from Denali Interactive that we knew for quite a while dropped by the bar. Em said hey, acknowledging him by bumping their fists together. "A bunch of us are over there, come join us. Let's catch up," Matt said and all three of us followed him.

For the rest of the night neither Tanya, Irina, nor Jane bothered us. Em and I ended up drinking the whole night together with Kate, Matt and several others from the Denali Interactive sales team. I think my suspicion was confirmed that there definitely was something fishy about the Denalis. Maybe not all of them, but at least Irina. She was too interested in Bella. Did she want to try to convince Bella to go and work for them?

**EPOV**

We headed straight to the airport half way into right watching the Halloween Parade. Thankfully the parade was tame in comparison to Mardi Gras. I joked to Bella that I feared that Bella might flash her boobs to get more beads and Bella's face went beet red.

Alice insisted we wear the costume we had planned to wear to the Vampire Ball to the parade since we were no longer attending the Ball. Jasper and I looked like we were Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt from Interview with the Vampire. The frilly shirts and suit with embroidery were definitely not something I wanted to be seen in. The one positive thing about being forced to wear our costumes was how exquisite Bella looked in her Victorian emerald green bustle gown which I was told was a replica of the ball gown the doll maker Madeline, wore in the movie Interview with the Vampire. Alice wore the replica of the blue gown worn by Claudia in the movie as well so that we all looked like we stepped straight out of the movie.

After we checked in at the airline counter, we quickly changed out of our costumes in the bathroom and headed to the boarding gate. Since we purchased our seats last night Mom were only able to book two seats together in 4 different parts of the plane. I finally got a lucky break and was able to sit with Bella. She looked exhausted so I let her lean on my shoulder so she could catch some sleep. I didn't realize I fell asleep until the flight attendant came around for refreshments. Bella was still asleep but knowing her I knew she'd want some chips so I got some chips and ginger ale.

Again we had a short layover in Houston and Bella was still knocked out so Felix carried her out of the plane. Part of me was tempted to insist I carry her but I really was exhausted and didn't trust myself to safely transport her so I kept my mouth shut.

Both Bella and I slept through the second flight and woke up as the plane was descending into Seattle.

"Hey, sleepy head," I said running my fingers through her hair to tame it down.

Bella smiled looking a little disoriented.

I glanced around making sure there was no sign of my dad before I took Bella into my arms and kissed her goodbye as I wouldn't be given another opportunity to do so once we deplaned. I told her I would pick her up from the hotel where they were staying at 10 am. Alice had already cleared with our mom that she and I were taking Bella out sightseeing and after that head to my place for a movie.

Jasper offered to crash at my place so that we could tidy it up to accommodate Alice and Bella tomorrow. My place wasn't a pigsty by any means but I was a single guy living alone so the place definitely needed some vacuuming and de-cluttering.

It was very late by the time we arrived at my apartment so we decided to catch some sleep and wake up early to start cleaning. Jasper was used to crashing at my place so he went and got some blankets and a pillow from the closet himself before passing out on my sleeper couch. I crashed immediately after my head hit the pillow.

"Wake up. We've got work to do," Jasper shook me awake after what felt like only minutes since I fell asleep.

"In a minute."

"I'll go grocery shopping and pick up some chips and drinks for tonight. You'd better be up and vacuuming by the time I return," Jasper warned before leaving my bedroom.

"Thanks," was all I could manage. I wasn't quite awake yet.

I forced myself to get out of bed and immediately hit the shower. I looked around and noticed that my bathroom definitely needed some serious cleaning. It was a given that the girls would need to use the bathroom and I didn't want Bella to be disgusted with my filthy bathroom. As soon as I finished showering, I immediately started cleaning.

Jasper returned after I finished cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen. I still hadn't cleaned the living room or my bedroom but thought Jasper could clean the living room while I cleaned the bedroom.

I wasn't really sure if there was a necessity to tidy my bedroom but a guy could hope. Okay, with Alice and Jasper here maybe the chance of Bella and me spending time in my bedroom was probably miniscule but I wanted to be thorough. Some people believe in the power of visualization. Maybe visualizing Bella and me in my bed together might make it a reality which would be so awesome! As soon as I realized I was sounding like a pig, I shook that image out of my head and concentrated on picking up the crap tossed all over the bedroom I had to remind myself that Bella was still in a cast and that I would be an ass if I had sex with Bella in the condition she was in.

"Hey, Jerry down the hall told us to swing by if we're free this evening. He's throwing a party," Jasper hollered to me from the living room.

"Sounds good. We can run it by the girls when we see them."

"I'll text Alice and let her know. She'd probably kill me if I don't tell her ahead of time saying she isn't dressed to go to a party," Jasper said laughing.

"You know my sister too well," I laughed. I wondered what Bella would be wearing. Then I realized that I wanted her covered up as much as possible as some of Jerry's friends were pigs.

Once I deemed my place acceptable to have guests we headed out to pick up the girls. Mom greeted us and while Jasper went to sit on the couch, Mom pulled me over. "Don't do anything stupid. I'll try to keep your dad away from visiting your apartment but make sure you bring the girls back at a reasonable hour. Also keep an eye out especially on Alice. If something happens between Jasper and Alice, it's your head. Understood?"

"Mom! We're not teenagers jumping on the opportunity to throw a party when the parents are away."

"You and Em being teenagers are still fresh in my memory. I know I've said this to you before but I'm going to say it again. Remind yourself what you guys were like at eighteen and remember that it's no different with Alice and Bella. This is all new and exciting to them. The line they never crossed because we were around becomes gray and tempting. They're bound to test how far they can go without getting in trouble."

I nodded gravely. Mom sure put the fear of god in me. Before her little speech I was just a guy looking forward to spending a good time with his girlfriend but now I felt like I was a chaperone for two naughty girls looking for trouble.

I went and sat on the couch holding my face in my hands and sighed. "What up? Jasper asked looking confused.

I sighed again looking defeated. "We're definitely NOT going to Jerry's party."

"Too late for that. Alice sounded like she was going to burst from excitement. There's no stopping now."

"Damn. Well she's your responsibility then."

"She's your sister and from what I just witnessed your mom pulled you over and spoke to _you_. Not me."

"Dude really? You're bailing on me? Now?" I whined causing Jasper to shrug his shoulders.

"All right. I'll help. I'm pretty sure Bella won't be a problem since she's not really mobile enough to pull any crazy stunts."

"Okay, so here's what we think we should do. We'll stay together and work as a team. Don't let Alice convince you to split from us. We'll go on the Duck tour, drive around a bit before heading to my place., Then we will change our plans and take them out to dinner instead of the party. Sound good?"

"Sure. But do you really believe everything will go as planned?" Jasper asked and I shook my head morosely.

"Hey guys," Alice and Bella said coming out of the bedroom smiling excitedly.

"Be careful girls. Always keep your phone on you and make sure Felix and Alec can see both of you at all times," Dad reminded the girls.

"We know!" Alice said scowling. "Let's go before they change their minds," Alice muttered wheeling Bella towards the door. I quickly kissed my mom goodbye and tapped my chest with my fist signaling for my dad to trust me to keep them safe. I had to believe that I could pull this off without any major catastrophe. Jasper didn't seem like he was going to be much help but I had Felix and Alec on my side.

After having a quick bite at a café near the hotel we went to get our tickets for the tour. The Ducks turned out to be much more interesting than I expected and both Alice and Bella seemed to really enjoy touring around Seattle on land and on water. I could see Bella was excited over it but I was surprised how much Alice looked like she was enjoying it. Seattle was almost her backyard but I could understand that this was totally different to her as she wasn't here with family but with Bella, her bestie. I still haven't really gotten used to having Alice around so much. I know it couldn't be avoided since I'm with Bella and she was with Jasper.

After the Ducks we decided to go on a half hour drive up to Edmonds. There was a place Mom liked to eat called Chanterelle that I knew Bella would instantly fall in love with. It was casual and family-friendly which I knew was what Bella preferred over anything fancy and the historic building was also really charming. It was the kind of place that I could easily imagine Bella and her mom dining at.

Once we started to drive through Edmonds, Bella started to snap a lot of pictures. The town preserved many of the old buildings to keep the charm and appeal. Chanterelle was one of those buildings. She said that the town sort of reminded her of Grandview, the town in Ghost Whisperer.

"Did you know that the set they used for Grandview was originally the set from Back to the Future?" Jasper said looking proud for that tidbit he knew.

"Really? Wow I never knew that!" Alice said purring. It was sick watching my sister go all goo goo eyed over my buddy.

We sat on the benches outside and took some pictures before we headed into the restaurant. There weren't that many tables available so Alec and Felix sat together with us.

"Yay! They have grilled cheese sandwiches!" Bella announced excitedly.

"Really? You're gonna order grilled cheese? Come on Bella, my mom can make that for you anytime!" Alice said scowling.

"Hey, she can order whatever she wants to!" I said and Bella stuck her tongue out at Alice causing Jasper to laugh throwing his head back.

We all ordered their famous tomato bisque soup and decided to order different sandwiches so we could all share. After lunch we lingered in Edmonds for a while looking at some of the stores there while Alice and Bella took more pictures. Once we no longer felt so stuffed from the huge lunch we had, we returned to the car to head to my place.

"Welcome to my humble abode," I announced opening the door to my place.

"Sure looks humble," Alice giggled.

"It's nice," Bella offered smiling. "It's different than what I imagined your place would look like though."

"What did you think my place would look like?"

"Let's see. I thought you'd have a room with huge glass windows facing a gorgeous view of the water and the mountains, and that you'd have some kind of black leather designer couch and a bunch of shelves with lots and lots of music, and a glass top coffee table with fancy coffee table books underneath."

"Wow. That's kinda specific." I chuckled at Bella's wild imagination. "You've only seen my room my mother decorated back in Forks. This is all me, well not all me since some of the furniture is a hand me down from Em when he needed to get rid of his furniture when he moved in with Rose."

"Well I like your style much better," Bella smiled squeezing my hand.

"Are you serious? The couch is so ugly and bumpy!" Alice said pointing to my favorite piece of furniture I bought when I was in college. It was the only piece of furniture I owned until I bought the bed. I ate, slept and studied on that couch for god knows how long until mom saw the condition I was living in and forced me to buy the bed, desk, and bookshelves.

"Hey, no hating the couch. It's a beautiful sleeper couch. All you have to do is lift the seat cushion and it transforms into a full size bed. Gotta love Walmart!"

"Well I hope Uncle Aro lets us furnish our place ourselves."

"I bet on the place being furnished already," Jasper said earning a death glare from Alice.

"I'm sure he'll let us choose some things ourselves," Bella tried comforting Alice.

"I always wanted to furnish my own place," Alice said sighing.

While I got busy pouring the chips into the bowls and making some party dip, Alice, Bella, and Jasper went to check out my DVD shelf to pick out the movie to watch.

"The Porn Identity? A Tale of Two Titties? The Bare Bitch Project? Hairy Daughter and The Order of the Penis? King Dong? Oh my God!" I heard Bella read out the porn titles laughing. I almost dropped the bowl of chips when I realized that she was going through the porn collection Em dumped at my place before he moved in with Rose. I had never bothered to put them away since they were in shoe boxes so I just placed them on the bottom shelves.

Bella and Alice looked like they were caught sticking their hands in the cookie jar when they realized I caught them snooping.

"Porn Parody?" Alice asked giggling.

"They're Em's."

"Right. Always blame it on Em," Alice said shaking her head.

"It's true. Help me out here Jasper. You were here when Em brought them over," I said getting irritated that Jasper was having too much fun on my expense.

"Alice? Look at these NIKE shoe boxes. They all have size 13 on them. Edward doesn't wear a size 13."

"Hah!" I said back to Alice.

"Are all these porn? Do any of these boxes contain anything else?" Bella asked scrunching her nose.

"I think one of the boxes contain comedy."

"Okay," Bella said and started looking for the box without porn. "Found it! He's got a bunch of Jim Carrey movies including Dumb and Dumber, some Ben Stiller movies including There's Something about Mary, a ton of Jackie Chan movies including Rush Hour, oh and he has the American Pie series."

"Great! Let's watch American Wedding," Alice said pulling the movie out of the box.

"Really? Do we have to watch that? I hate that scene where Stifler eats the dog shit truffle," Bella groaned making a face at Alice.

"Oh come on, the movie is funny. Remember the scene where Stifler does Jim's grandma?" Alice asked Bella and in the mean time Jasper looked paler by the minute getting grossed out.

"Girls, let's choose another movie okay? It sounds like you two remember the whole movie anyway. Here, how about Clerks?"

"Nah," my choice got quickly dismissed by the girls.

"Oh look! Em has Chicken Little!" Bella said raising the DVD in the air in a fist pump.

"YAY! Chicken Little!" Alice joined bouncing. Jasper was clearly feigning excitement.

"Really? Chicken Little?" I said earning death glares from Bella and Alice. Jasper feigned a glare along with them and smirked. What a traitor!

I lost the battle and agreed on watching Chicken Little. I settled Bella onto the couch and was about to make myself comfortable beside Bella when Alice quickly inched her little body in and pointed at me to sit on the floor beside Jasper. Alec chuckled earning death glares from me.

Bella and Alice leaned into each other cradling the bowl of popcorn and fed each other laughing at the opening of the movie when the Lion King music came on. I sighed in defeat and settled beside Jasper after deciding there was no way Alice was going to move from the couch.

"What a movie date. We don't even get to sit with our women," Jasper said chuckling.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be the one on the couch with Bella. It was me who was supposed to be snuggling with Bella. She was supposed to be feeding me!

Halfway through the movie Alice tapped my back with her foot and shoved the empty bowl at me and told me they needed more popcorn. I grabbed the bowl of popcorn Jasper and I shared and shoved it at Alice. I was actually enjoying the movie and didn't want to get up. Even Felix and Alec were laughing and seemed to be enjoying the movie as well.

Towards the end of the movie Alice bumped into Bella's hand holding the can of soda spilling it down Bella's shirt. It was my cue to steal Bella from the couch. I quickly got up and carried Bella in my arms making a mad dash towards my bedroom slamming the door shut with my leg.

I sat Bella on my bed and dug through my drawers to find her a T shirt for her to change into. I found my old T shirt with Cullen written on the back and handed it to her. I sat behind her on the bed and kissed her back while I pulled the wet shirt off her. I slid the clean T shirt over her head but before I got the chance to kiss her I was rudely interrupted by Alice telling me there was a girl at my door.

I carried Bella to the couch and settled her there before I went to see who was at the door. I groaned when I realized it was Bree. She was Jerry's friend who I made the mistake of sleeping with once after a party when I was drunk. Since after that she just didn't give up on asking me out even when I turn her down every time.

"Hey, sexy. I was wondering where you were. Jerry said he's invited you and Jasper to his party. I missed you. Where have you been? You're never home anymore," she purred rubbing her hands all over me. I was never more glad that Bella couldn't get around easily. Otherwise I would be sure she would at my side instead of Alice.

"Who the hell are you?" Alice asked as she stood beside me crossing her arms glaring at Bree.

"Who the fuck are _you_?"

I glanced behind me and met 4 pairs of eyes staring at us. Felix and Alec were standing right beside Bella on the couch looking ready to attack and Bella looked upset. The only pair of eyes which looked sympathetic were Jasper's as he knew all too well how Bree was like especially when it came to me.

"Bree, she's my sister. I don't appreciate you using that kind of tone to my family."

"Oh! I'm sorry," Bree said and her feature softened. "I didn't know you were busy babysitting. I'm sure Jerry wouldn't mind if you brought your sister and her friend along to the party," she said pointing towards Bella.

"Please thank Jerry for the invite but I already have plans with my girlfriend, my sister and Jasper."

"Oh you're such a comedian. Are you referring to that kid over there? Come on, just because you don't want to hang out with me you don't have to make such a poor excuse. At least say something believable. Edward Cullen doesn't do girlfriends," Bree said loudly laughing with her head thrown back.

"You don't know me at all, Bree. Bella is my girlfriend. It's your choice whether you want to believe or not."

"Shut the hell up you tramp. My brother wants nothing to do with you. She is his girlfriend. You don't have a chance so just leave!" Alice yelled pointing towards the hallway.

"You little bitch," Bree grabbed Alice's hair and pulled her towards her.

"Let go of me!" Alice shrieked clawing at Bree's face.

In a flash Alec freed Alice's hair out of Bree's hands and pulled Alice to safety while Felix stood in front of the door to block Bree from entering. Jasper told me to go back into the living and watch Bella and Alice while he escorted Bree back to Jerry's with Felix. Jasper looked enraged but seemed to be in control of the situation. I acknowledged him and went to the living room to calm Alice down. I dreaded the thought of needing to explain to Bella my history with Bree. This was just the tip of the iceberg. I was sure Bree wasn't the only girl Bella would encounter I had some kind of history with.

**A/N**

Thanks for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm moving the story forward and hope to get Bella out of her casts and living in Seattle in the next chapter. Laurent who appeared in Forks in Chapter 5 has now reappeared and you all got to see how he was connected to the plot. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter!


	19. Chapter 19 Seattle here we come!

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to JCook169, again for your wonderful beta work.

**Chapter 19 Seattle here we come!**

**EPOV**

"Let me go, let me go," Alice screamed, trying to break free from Alec's hold.

"Miss Cullen, please calm down before you hurt yourself," I heard Alec reply softly to her.

"I'm not done with that bitch! How dare she treat Bella and me like kids! And… and… act like she knows my brother. She knows nothing about him. No one talks bad about my family! Let me go," Alice struggled to free herself.

I wanted to get to Bella but Jasper was dealing with Bree for me so the least I could do was to care for Alice until he returned. I glanced over to Bella and saw her planted in front of the T.V.

"Alice, it's okay. Don't let her get to you. Let her say whatever she wants. It doesn't bother me and it shouldn't bother you either. The people who I care about know who I am so it shouldn't matter what she or others think."

"But it's infuriating. I love you and Bella and I won't let anyone bad mouth you."

"Let it go, Alice. I love that you care so deeply about Bella and I but you have to choose your battles. She's not worth your time," I hugged Alice tightly, petting her head. It was something that helped her calm down as a kid whenever she was upset and I hoped that it still worked on her.

Jasper returned and I handed Alice over to him and quickly made my way to Bella. She had her back to me, facing the T.V. with her shoulders shaking. Until I looked into her face I didn't realize she had been silently crying all this time. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red and there were tissues scattered on the floor in front of her. I lifted her into my arms and carried her to my bedroom to seek some privacy.

"Bella, why are you crying sweetheart? Are you upset with me?" I asked. She ignored me so I repeated, "Please tell me what's wrong"; taking hold of her hand and rubbing soothing circles in her palms

"I'm really upset right now. Please leave me alone, I don't want to talk to anyone," Bella said shaking my hand away from hers before she started punching the pillows with the arm that was in a cast. It was a pillow but I still worried she might hurt herself. Anything was possible when it came to Bella.

"Baby, please stop doing that before you hurt yourself," I implored, wrapping my arms around her to prevent her from punching the pillows and avoid letting her worsen the injured arm.

"It…it should've been me… I should've… been the one to defend you… Not Alice…I felt so weak and helpless…I couldn't even get to the door because my wheelchair was by the door and I can't walk on my foot yet…I can't even do anything myself anymore. I feel miserable. I hate myself. I hate the woman you dated, I hate James. I hate Phil. I hate my mom for leaving me…" Bella shouted crying her eyes out.

It was almost like something snapped and she was finally letting everything out which she had kept bottled up since her mom's death. I just held her and let her vent her frustrations.

"Sweetheart, your mother loves you. She's watching over you and she's right here," I said pointing to her heart. "James and Phil are evil. They know nothing better than to hurt people and make them miserable just like them. Don't let them drag you down. You are good and you deserve the best. Unfortunately we sometimes have to deal with scumbags and instead of letting them win, we just have to keep fighting. You're strong, Bella. You're the strongest person I've ever met. You just need some tender loving care at the moment which doesn't mean you're weak and helpless. Don't ever think that," I said after she finished venting..

" You deserve a real woman. Someone like Bree. Not someone who looks like she needs a baby sitter," Bella said bitterly.

I understood that whatever I said next would make or break what I had with Bella. I didn't want to lose her over something I did in the past. Was I ashamed of how I acted when I was in college? Not exactly. Plenty of guys and girls did exactly what I did. I know that's no reason for how I acted but I've heard plenty of people say, even my parents, phrases such as 'you're not in college anymore' so I took advantage of that and did things I could get away with because I was still in college. In some ways my dad encouraged me to go out with different girls to figure out the kind of person I want to be with for the future, although I'm sure he didn't expect me to be so open to non committed relationships. I clearly understood that once I was out of college I had to become responsible for all my actions and my actions would reflect back on my parents and family. Once I graduated I cleaned up my act. I stopped the random hook up with girls I met at the clubs and worked hard on learning the business. I even went on coffee runs for Rose, ran errands for Emmett such as buying his lottery tickets and picking up his laundry from the cleaners, and even bought flowers for Jane from Aro, all without even a word of complaint.

"Bella, I can't undo my actions before I met you. There are more "Brees" out there who we may run into occasionally. Who I am now is the result of all that I experienced in my past. I went wild after I left home for college. Many of the girls I met once I came to Seattle were less conservative than the girls I went to high school with and many threw themselves at me and I admit I welcomed them. It's going to sound like an excuse but I was a healthy, horny 18 yr old in the midst of very willing and aggressive girls. In Forks I was just Edward, the son of Carlisle and Esme, but when I came to Seattle people recognized me as the nephew of the Volturis. With that came fame and a long line of girls who wanted to be with me to reap the benefits of that. I'll be the first to admit that I took full advantage of that but I never strung the girls along. I made it quite clear to them in the beginning that I wasn't ready to commit to anything serious. The problems I had were that the girls were relentless and expected me to change. They thought once I fell in love with them they'd be able to change my mind. When I didn't, things would get ugly. My feelings about getting involved with someone only changed after I met you because you were different. You didn't care about fame or fortune. You saw me for who I was and treated me no different than you treated Jasper. You are a real woman much more than anyone I've ever met. Your age doesn't matter to me."

"Really? Are you sure that you aren't with me because I'm young and not looking for a real commitment like marriage anytime soon?" Bella asked with intensity in her eyes.

It pissed me off that she would think that way. To be honest I never really imagined myself married to anyone, not even Bella yet, but I wasn't with her because of those reasons.

"Bella, I'm with you because I love you. I love spending time with you and I miss you when you aren't around. I've never met anyone who I felt so attracted to, both physically and emotionally. You are beautiful inside and out, you make me laugh and you keep me on my toes with your wit. When I saw you bleeding and unconscious after the accident, I thought I was going to lose you and it killed me. I don't want to lose you Bella, you're my life now. I admit that I'm not ready for marriage yet, but I do know that you are someone who I want to be with."

"I'm really unsure of everything right now. It's like I just saw a side of you I've never seen before. Yeah you told me you were an ass to many of your girlfriends when I first met you, but hearing it and witnessing it in person is totally different. I don't know how to handle this feeling. I feel so ugly inside for hating Bree for experiencing what I haven't with you. I don't want to feel like this every time I encounter the people you had slept with."

"Trust me, Bella. What I had with them is nothing in comparison to what we have. They didn't have my heart but you do. I can't guarantee that the girls I've dated or slept with won't try to say mean things to hurt you and I can't always protect you from them but if that happens remind them that I'm with you now. Not them."

"Oh trust me, Bree was lucky I wasn't mobile or she would've become friendly with my fist. They'll all get more than a reminder not to mess with me." Bella vowed and I instantly felt relieved that the feisty side of Bella was back but I hated the fact that she felt like she was inferior because we haven't slept together yet. That problem could be easily rectified but I definitely didn't want to sleep with her for the first time because of a reason like that.

"I love you. I love you just the way you are," I leaned in and when I was about to kiss her I saw her scrunch her nose and giggle.

"You're pulling a Billy Joel on me?" Bella asked making a silly face at me.

"Pulling a what?" I asked confused. Why was she ruining the moment?

"You know. Billy Joel's song, 'Just the way you are'," Bella chuckled. She really looked like a little kid smiling right after they bawled their head off but I didn't dare vocalize my thoughts. Shit would hit the fan if there was a mere mention of the word 'kid' after the fiasco involving Bree. Bella's eyes were puffy and her nose was red but she was finally smiling now.

"You really are quirky sometimes..." I said shaking my head chuckling. I had just shared my deep feelings for her and she comes back making silly faces at me. "But I love that. My sweet, sweet, Bella," "Mwah," I said planting a sloppy wet kiss on her forehead.

"Yuk!" Bella quickly wiped her forehead and pushed me down onto the bed and gave me a noogie.

"Ow!" I cried feigning a pout.

I rolled her over and she was now the one with her back on the bed as I straddled her and had my hands planted on either side of her head. I rubbed my chin on her and she squealed that it was prickly and itchy. I laughed and held her arms down and repeated teasingly until I heard her stomach growl. Bella blushed and laughed.

"I'm hungry."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Fried chicken. Do they have good fried chicken here?"

"You bet we do. We can go to Ezell's."

"I should've had fried chicken in New Orleans instead of that fancy food with French names at that Friday lunch thing," Bella pouted.

"Don't worry. Ezell's fried chicken is superb."

While Alice and Bella freshened up, Jasper and I settled on the couch, waiting for them.

"Thanks for getting rid of Bree. I really appreciate it."

"No worries. You know, I hate to sound cold but is it just me who thinks our girls over reacted? If you think about it Bree was probably just joking when she made the comment about you babysitting. Clearly she could see Bella and Alice were old enough to be on their own. I get that Alice really cares about you and Bella but if Alice didn't go shrieking like a banshee, you probably would've just brushed Bree off and she probably would've backed down after several attempts at convincing you to come to the party." I was glad Alice wasn't in the room. Shit would've hit the fan if she heard what Jasper said and I doubted Alice would ever forgive Jasper for it. For someone as sensitive as Jasper about people around him, his comments seemed a little too callous.

"We have to see things from their perspective. Thinking back to when I was their age, I think I would've gotten pissed too if someone referred to me as needing babysitting. Alice has always been a bit dramatic but she really is a good judge of character. Maybe she sensed something from Bree which caused her to react the way she did. Alice is very intuitive so I'm not going to dismiss her reaction as a result of her level of maturity. I swear women have this keen sense of intuition that us men don't." I said and Jasper nodded in understanding.

Once the girls came out we all piled into the car and drove the 15 minutes to Ezell's Fried Chicken. Ezell's was one of Em's favorite places to eat and he was a regular there. We picked up what he usually ordered - Spicy chicken, mashed potatoes, baked beans, rolls, sweet potato pie, and peach cobbler. Em has tried everything on their menu and narrowed the choices down to these items. The time and money my brother spends on determining what the best items were on the menu was mind blowing. I swear he works in the wrong industry and should have been a food critic instead. Jasper and I ran into the store and purchased the food while the girls stayed in the car. Once we returned we quickly drove to the hotel.

"Hey Mom, You two haven't left for dinner yet?" Alice asked surprised finding our parents still in the hotel suite.

"Your uncle just left five minutes ago. Your mom and I were trying to decide where to go for dinner. What do you guys have there? Sure smells good," Dad said smiling.

"Fried chicken. Would you like to join us? There's plenty to go around," Bella offered earning a death glare from Alice.

"Ezell's fried chicken? Mmmmm," Dad commented rubbing his stomach. Bella chuckled at his reaction.

It just seemed like ever since Bella walked into our lives my dad seemed to loosen up and act a lot like the father I remembered when I was a kid. Now that my parents decided to join us for dinner, I wasn't going to get to snuggle with Bella after dinner but I felt it was for the best as Bella's emotions were all over the place and seemed like she could benefit from some family time.

**BPOV**

Halleluiah! I was finally free from my casts. I still had a leg brace but it was a thousand times better than having a cast on my leg. It's been two weeks since we returned from vacation and today Alice and I were moving to Seattle. Edward stayed behind in Seattle as he had to take care of business related to the office where we'd be working out of. I was excited and nervous at the same time. Dad decided to come along with us to Seattle and spend the weekend so that he could see our apartment and the office and make sure I settled in fine. Aro had considered having the office in the same building as our place but he decided that it would be safer if it was in a different building. The office was only a few blocks away from the campus which made things convenient for Alice and I once classes started.

Since Aro wanted to keep this project a secret and separate from Volturi Games, he set up a new company, Shangri-La Design, with Esme as the CEO, Alice as the COO, Carlisle as the CFO, and himself and his brothers as the board of directors. I was very surprised at the length Aro went to make sure this project went under the radar. Alice's and my paycheck would come from Shangri-la Design, but Edward and Jasper's would still come from Volturi Games so unless someone went to search the details of the company registration of Shangri-La Design, it would just look like a family business with Esme's brothers supporting the Cullens, and wouldn't know the company was game-related.

Aro structured the business so that he would personally fund all expenses until the game engine was complete and ready to be licensed. Once it was finished, Shangri-La Design would bill Volturi Games for the work but until then there wasn't going to be any kind of paper trail between Shangri-La Design and Volturi Games. Since Aro hired new employees for this project, none of the people had any direct relation to Volturi Games either. Even Edward and Jasper was expected to work mostly at Volturi Games office on the Volturi Games projects and only work out of Shangri-La once or twice a week so that people wouldn't get suspicious why Edward wasn't back at Volturi even if I was no longer in Forks.

At first when all this information was explained to my dad and I by Carlisle and Esme, we were a little overwhelmed as Aro seemed to have gone to great lengths to hide information from the public and the actions he took to hide the information had an adverse affect on my dad, making him worry if I was going to be safe doing something that were so carefully guarded.

Carlisle explained that he, Esme, and her brothers looked at all the details from every possible angle and consulted with experts to make sure that not only was I going to be safe but that the development work required for the Ugly Duckling Engine will proceed smoothly and efficiently and that we would all be happy with the results.

Dad seemed hesitant but went along with everything. He said that what made me happy was most important to him as long as I was safe. I had no doubts about my safety as both the office and the condo had security and I still had Felix and Alec whom were going to be responsible for transporting between the condo and the office. I had a feeling that the security logistics could get tricky once I started school but I didn't dare mention that to him.

"Looks like these are the last of the boxes you packed," Dad said pointing to the boxes piled up in Carlisle's SUV. The boxes reminded me of the trip we took from Phoenix. I felt a little pang in my heart that I had made my dad help me move again. He looked sad today. I caught him several times today with tears brimming in his eyes.

"Dad, Seattle isn't that far and I'll be back in two weeks for Thanksgiving. I can always hop on a bus from Seattle to Port Angeles and you can pick me up or force someone to drive me home," I said giving him a one armed hug as I was still wobbly and using a cane since my muscle strength wasn't back to normal yet.

I was going to miss him too. On Sunday he was going back to Forks and I didn't want to even think about how hard the goodbye would be for either of us. Now that I had my dad in my life I couldn't think of a life without him.

I hadn't seen Edward in two weeks and I really missed him. He had been really busy and only had time to talk to me before he went to bed every night. Text messages from him were few and far between. It would be hard to shake my dad off but Alice had assured me that she and Jasper would try and run interference so that Edward and I could have some privacy to properly greet each other.

I rode with Dad in Carlisle's car and Esme rode in Alice's so that she could bring her car to Seattle. Alice's level of excitement was scary and Esme said that she was worried that Alice might die from aneurism caused from excitement and I wasn't completely sure Esme was joking.

Our first stop was to see our office. Aro and his brothers were meeting us there as he wanted to discuss any of my dad's lingering concerns in person since most of their discussions had been done over the phone or through Carlisle.

Edward and Jasper were waiting for us in the lobby of the building. Edward noticed us first and stood waving. Esme gave him a kiss and Alice skipped towards Jasper and gave him a kiss. I noticed Carlisle frowning and shaking his head. Daddy C looked like he wasn't very happy with what was happening between Alice and Jasper but seemed to "grin and bear" it so to speak. I wondered what his reaction would be if he found out about Edward and I. I knew we'd have to come clean soon.

The office was a lot larger than I expected. There were 4 single rooms with a desk and computer which Aro explained that they were for Alice, Jasper, Edward and me, a large meeting room, a smaller meeting room, 2 rooms filled with computers which I assumed were to be used by the designers and programmers, a dining room, and a lounge with sofas, TV, and shelves full of games, and a storage room.

Since Alice, Jasper, Edward, and I weren't needed to stay in the office, Carlisle asked Edward and Jasper to drive his car to our new place so they could start hauling my boxes into my room. Alice had too many things so her stuff was moved by a professional moving company yesterday. I didn't have much to start with and I didn't plan on bringing any of my furniture with me like Alice did so I expected my room to be quite bare so was pleasantly surprised when I found my room was furnished very modernly but not overdone.

"Wow, did your mom do this for me?" I asked Edward.

"Actually Aro asked me for assistance so I asked Rose and Jasper help me. We knew you wouldn't want your room to look like something out of the Ralph Lauren catalogue so we stuck to something modern and simple. You just have your basic desk, bed, sofa, coffee table, book shelves, TV, and a dresser. It's so simple I was afraid you might think it looks like a hotel room but Rose assured me that once you personalized it, it would look fine.

"I love it because it's so natural looking. This whole cream, beige, and brown color scheme looks really calming and relaxing. Thank you," I said and hugged Edward.

"I'm glad I got this right. Oh, by the way you'll love your bed and the bedding. Aro told Rose to get you the best mattress and bedding so that you could get the best sleep possible.

"Well, let's check it out then," I said grabbing Edward's hand and leading him to the bed.

We crawled under the covers and tested the bed's feel. "Oh my God, I don't think I could ever leave your bedroom," Edward sighed with a smile on his face.

"Unfortunately my invitation only starts after my dad goes home on Sunday," I said earning a pout from Edward.

"Really? I can stay every night after that?" Edward asked waggling his brows.

"Mmmhhhmmm," I said resting my head on his chest while I glided my hands over his strong pecs.

"What are you two doing in bed so early in the day? Chop chop! We've got unpacking to do!" Alice commanded jumping onto my bed. "Whoa! What's up with this bed? Oh my God your bedding is so nice and soft and fluffy! Why isn't mine like this?"

"That's cuz you begged Aro for designer bed and bedding. Quality doesn't come first in those items but Bella's aren't designer but made of the best quality," Edward explained to Alice.

"That doesn't sound fair."

"It does to the designers. They want to pocket as much for their name and spend less on the cost of the raw materials."

"I'm sure not all designers are like that. They couldn't be. They should love designing first and think about profiting as second."

"Good luck with that, Alice. I'm pretty sure none of the designers you like conform to that kind of ideology," Edward said causing Alice to huff and march out of my room.

"Hey, stop upsetting Alice and get to work! You don't want to be caught in bed when Chief Swan walks in. Edward, help me unpack things for the kitchen and the living room before Alice yells at me that I'm not helping," Lone said chuckling leaning on my door.

After several attempts at trying to get out of bed only to be pulled back into Edward's embrace I finally peeled myself off of him and went to start unpacking my boxes. I had packed a suitcase with things I would need immediately and clothes to last me for a few days so I really wasn't in any rush to unpack.

A half hour later, Edward came to my room suggesting he and I go grocery shopping as there wasn't much for him to do anymore as he finished unpacking my boxes for the kitchen and boxes of pictures I wanted displayed in the living room. I told him to help with Alice's box she labeled for the living room but he said there was no way in hell he was going to touch Alice's stuff as she had her way of organizing things and it would be a waste of his time if he did anything as Alice would reorganize everything anyway.

Felix and Alec looked bored anyway so they were relieved when we told them we were off to grocery shopping. At least now they wouldn't have to just sit and watch us unpack as they couldn't really help with the unpacking while on duty. Well not officially anyway and since there was a possibility that Aro might tag along with my dad, Esme, and Carlisle it was probably wise that they went by the books today.

"Rose and Emmett are joining us all for dinner tonight. They felt bad they couldn't help out today but they have a lot of catching up to do for the work they missed while they were in New Orleans," Edward said as we went to grab a shopping cart.

"There's not much to do anyway, well maybe Alice needs all the help she can get, but other than that I think we're all good. It's not like we're on a deserted island. I'm probably more comfortable here than I was back at home. Did you look at that state of the art kitchen and laundry room? My God what are Alice and I gonna do with _that_!"

"Well I can think of a lot of things to do on the kitchen counter that doesn't involve cooking," Edward hinted waggling his brows.

After my freak out over Bree and Edward's past, Edward kept our conversation away from anything with a sexual connotation in it so I felt a little relieved that things seemed to be resuming back to normal again.

I slapped his arm jokingly and scrunched my nose. "I could cook for you, you know."

"Mmmm. I'd love some home cooked meals. What can you make?"

"Spaghetti," I said without noticing we were in the refrigerated ready-t-bake bread section.

Edward grabbed a Pillsbury breadstick package and started singing imitating the dough boy.

_If you love spaghetti _

_Just like I know you do _

_Then my soft breadsticks _

_will be a dream come true _

…

_You'll love my breadsticks as much as IIIIII love you _

_Nothing says lovin' like my soft breadsticks _

_Woohoo! _He ended the song as he pressed his belly button.

I covered my face from embarrassment and I even heard Felix and Alec struggling to hold their laughs in. Edward just laughed and planted a sloppy wet kiss on my cheek. He seemed to be in a really good mood today.

"Edward, what's going on? You seem really energetic and in a good mood!"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm back in Seattle and my girlfriend lives here now too. Nothing gets better than this!"

I know I was overreacting but I felt a little hurt that he was so excited to be back in Seattle. I felt guilty I was the one who held him back from his life in Seattle while he had to be in Forks with me ordered by Aro.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Edward asked with worry in his eyes.

"Nothing," I said slapping a smile on my face.

"I know that look, Bella. You can't fool me. Tell me."

"I feel responsible for holding you back from all the fun you could've had if Aro didn't force you to stay with me in Forks."

"Oh Bella. That's not true at all. I wouldn't have wanted to leave Forks even if Aro didn't tell me to. I wouldn't want to be back here if you weren't. Long distance relationships are hard especially when we're still so young. I've watched plenty of couples break up from it. The last two weeks had been hard enough. I really missed you," Edward said hugging and kissing me in the middle of the frozen food section.

"Edward, it's cold here, let's take this to the cereal aisle," I said immediately after we stopped kissing. I was getting cold and I didn't want to come down with anything just from grocery shopping. It would be lame.

After loading the cart with everything I could think of, including detergent and cleaning supplies, we quickly went to pay. I had forgotten to ask my dad for some money but Edward told me that this first set of groceries and household items were a house warming gift from him and Lone. They were afraid that if they bought us a plant it would be dead in a day and they couldn't think of anything better.

Their gift wasn't a typical housewarming gift but I thought it was really sweet of them. With the groceries and house hold items, Edward also bought us an ugly ass salt and pepper shaker that said "Seattle" as a reminder of their housewarming gift. He was dying to see Alice's reaction to them.

"You could've chosen the other ones. There were others like humpty dumpty and the wall, puppies, kittens, and there was even a while simple porcelain one that said salt and pepper."

"Where's the fun in that?" Edward countered, laughing.

His good mood was really contagious. I felt really lighthearted today and nothing seemed to matter too much. When we got back to my place, Dad, Esme, and Carlisle were there already and helping Alice with her room.

The living room, kitchen, and bathroom looked like they were ready and my room was sorted out enough so all was good with the world in my eyes but Alice was near tears as there was no room to walk around in hers because she had dumped most of her things out of the boxes onto the floor and on the bed. Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, and my dad looked lost at disaster zone that was before them.

"Errr. How about we put some of the items back in the boxes?" Dad said earning death glares from Alice and Jasper.

"Chief! We can't put the stuff back when I spent hours taking things out of the boxes. I just need to hang things in my closet and put the little things in the drawers."

""I think there are more things on the floor than what her closet and cabinets can hold," Dad whispered to me. He wasn't as quiet as he thought he was as Carlisle must've overheard him as he started chuckling causing Esme to stomp on his foot.

"I'll help Alice. You all should go and relax in the living room. Bella, how about you help Charlie settle in the guest bedroom?" Esme suggested.

"I don't have that much stuff so you're more than welcome to use some of my closet space," I suggested to Alice.

"I love you, Bella. See, there's someone other than my mom who cares about me!" Alice said glaring at the men who looked uneasy.

We tried really hard to keep ourselves from laughing as we walked out of Alice's room. Her room was a mess but this place was huge and even if she couldn't clear her bed, there was the sleeper couch in the living room she could sleep on. It wasn't the end of the world but she clearly looked like a damsel in distress.

Life living with Alice was going to be interesting and challenging, I thought to myself.

**Irina's POV**

"Hey, what's going on? My sources tell me that Bella Swan has moved in to a condo with Alice in Seattle. Has she shown up at the office?" I asked clearly upset that I heard about this from the PI I have on Bella instead of my source at Volturi.

"What? I swear I had no idea. Business is as usual here. No sign of Bella but now that you mention it Edward had been here to see Aro several times over the last two weeks. I just assumed he was running chores for Aro."

"You need to keep an eye out on Bella more closely. You don't want to lose Aro to Bella do you? My PI has told me that the condo Bella and Alice live in is in the Queen Anne district on West Highland Drive and he says their three bedroom condo costs more than a million and a half. I'm sure Aro is funding it and not the Cullens. How much is Aro paying for your place? I'm sure it's nowhere near theirs! Now that she's here Aro will probably stop spending as much time with you and would probably spend more time at hers." I said trying to get a rise out of her. To anyone else my suggestion would sound absurd but her judgment was clouded from jealousy so she seriously believed Aro had his eyes on Bella.

"I can't believe Aro is doing that to me. He hasn't mentioned anything about moving Bella to Seattle or putting her up in some posh condo. He doesn't even come to my place at all anymore. He goes out so many times during the day and doesn't even let me know where he's going. I have to put a stop to this. I need to get rid of Bella Swan."

It was so easy to manipulate her. Now all I needed was for her to get her act together and start keeping an eye out on Aro and Bella. Aro has too much influence in Seattle so it wasn't going to be easy for my PI to move around freely so I really needed her to do her share now that Bella was in Seattle.

"I'm counting on you. Start watching Aro more closely and try to trail him whenever you can. I know he has his personal security details on him so it's not going to be an easy task but since he's keeping you out of the loop it seems like he no longer trusts you so try to win his trust back. We need to find out why Bella and Alice is in Seattle this early when there's months to go until their classes start. Stalk them."

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm sorry for taking a little longer to update. I haven't been feeling well due to hay fever. My eyes and throat are too itchy and my nose is either runny or stuffed up and just couldn't sit and write another chapter so quickly.

Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. Thank you


	20. Chapter 20 Author's note from Japan

**Author's note: March 13th**

**Due to our country in a state of emergency from the earthquake, the Tsunami, and fear from nuclear meltdown,**

**I'll be taking a month or maybe longer off to to deal with all that is happening in our country.**

**I'd like to thank all the people worldwide for the prayers and support you're all giving us.**

**I live in Tokyo so the damage was nothing compared to what is happening in the northern parts of Japan but**

**aftershocks are still continuing and strong, there is power outage, limited transportation, limited phone service,**

**and food and water is starting to lack but as a nation we will stay strong and live through this crisis**

**and rebuild our country again.**

**Thank you.**

**Chihuahuamama**


	21. Ch 20 It's not like what I saw on Cosmo!

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to JCook169 again for her wonderful editing and also for caring for me while I deal with all that is going on in Japan.

**Cardinal Sins Chapter 20**

**It's not like what I saw on Cosmo!**

**BPOV**

Parting with my dad wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I thought it would take forever to send him off, but he seemed to accept that I was growing up, and it was time for me to leave the nest. He hugged me for several minutes and told me to call anytime, day or night, and to come home whenever I wanted to.

An hour after I called Edward to let him know that my dad had left with his parents, he was at my apartment with a travel suit bag and a small overnight bag grinning. Alice pouted seeing that Jasper wasn't here with him. Jasper had a test coming up and needed to study as he had spent most of the weekend with us.

"Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone and retreat to my room," Alice said before she took the bowl of popcorn we had just made.

Alec just waved to tell us not to mind him. Dad agreed that only Felix or Alec would stay with me while I was at the condo, office, or at Volutri headquarters as all had excellent security. I was glad that Felix and Alec were finally regaining some normalcy back in their lives. They were dividing the day into 3 shifts so that they could do 1 or 2 shifts in a day and interchange so that the other could sometimes have the day off instead of the night. The shifts were from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 to 6 a.m. so that they wouldn't interfere too much with Alice's and my schedule. Alec came at 2 p.m. and said that he was staying until 6 a.m.

I was nervous from all the freedom I had now. Here I was alone with my boyfriend, well almost since Alice and Alec were still here but they wouldn't bother us. I fidgeted with my fingers and Edward just smiled and took me in his arms and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"I dreamt of this moment. To have you in my arms without getting interrupted by anyone," Edward said and snuggled his face into my neck. "I could spend the whole night just holding you and kissing your neck but I have to work in the morning so may I suggest we call it a night and head off to bed?" Edward said grinning like a fool.

"Well, if you're so tired, maybe you might enjoy sleeping on the bed in the guest room alone so you could stretch," I said sticking my tongue out at him.

"That's mean. It defeats the whole purpose of me coming over tonight," Edward said feigning a scowl.

We waved to Alec as we headed to my bedroom. He smirked and waved back to us. I told Edward I'll be out in a minute and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I was excited and nervous at the same time. Outside _my_ bathroom on _my_ bed was _my_ boyfriend waiting to cuddle me. Could things get any better than this?

I opted for just an oversized T shirt to wear to bed instead of one of the nighties Alice had given me. I couldn't wipe this silly grin off my face. When I stepped out of the bathroom I was expecting Edward to be sitting up on the bed with his arms open smiling but what I was welcomed to instead was Edward fast asleep snoring and taking up more than half of the bed. I felt a little disappointed since this was our first night together at my place but chucked it up as this was what reality was really like and that not everything was going to be sweet and romantic like what I saw on TV and magazines.

I crawled into bed and snuggled up to Edward but his snores started to bother me too much so I turned my back to him and buried my head under my pillow.

I awoke to several annoying sounds coming from somewhere near me. Once I was awake enough I realized they were alarms Edward had set to get up for work. His watch, his phone, and my radio clock seemed like they were competing against each other as to who was the loudest and most annoying. I tried to move but Edward had his arms and legs wrapped around me like I was a body pillow and his chin rested on my shoulder with something wet and warm dripping down my neck.

Edward was a drooler, snorer, hugger and a tooter. It was a very bad idea for me to lift the comforter to try to release his hands off me as I was knocked out from the last one he ripped. All the pretty pictures I saw on Cosmo of couples waking up in the morning smiling and hugging each other went down the drain. I sighed as I tried to recover from getting my dreams squashed by Edward's evil fart. I couldn't escape his death grip so I started drumming my fingers on his hands and wiggled my butt at him.

"Edward, wake up," I repeated until he finally started stirring. He sighed softly and drew me closer to him and kissed me on my cheek before he sat up and turned all the alarms off.

"'G'morning Bella. I can't believe I get to wake up like this all the time now. Well, I'd better hit the shower. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry for waking you up with my alarms," he said and kissed me on my forehead before heading into the bathroom.

I pulled a robe on and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee and possibly a little something for him to eat before he headed out. I smelled coffee as soon as I stepped out of my room and found Alec and Felix sitting at the kitchen island sipping coffee and reading a newspaper.

"Good morning," I said and Felix and Alec looked surprised.

"Wow, you're up so early." Alec said smiling.

"Yeah. Edward needs to go to work," I said and felt myself blushing. It's not like Edward and I did anything last night but the fact that they could be imagining that we had sex was not something I was used to.

"I brought some cinnamon rolls and donuts. Feel free to dig in. I didn't expect you to be up so early so I only brought coffee for Alec and myself." Felix said and lifted the top off the box of the baked goods.

"You've already done more than enough getting us these," I said pointing to the box as I thanked him.

I started the coffee and took some plates out for Edward and myself and sat at the breakfast bar along with Felix and Alec. Once the coffee was done I poured a cup for myself and Edward and started nibbling on the cinnamon roll.

Edward came out of my bedroom looking extra handsome in his suit and tie. "Good morning, guys," he said as he walked towards the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me. Edward looked comfortable and I didn't even see a hint of embarrassment from him being seen by Alec and Felix.

"Felix got us some cinnamon rolls and donuts," I said pointing to the box and pushing the mug of coffee towards him.

"I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to dash out of here as soon as I take a quick bite of that. Aro wants to talk to me before Jane comes into the office."

"Oh, okay," I said as I watched Edward wolf down the food and coffee.

Felix got up and told us to wait until he stepped out and cleared the hallway. Once he was done he popped his head back in and told us everything was fine and Edward could leave anytime and stood outside the door.

Edward kissed me good bye and told me that he'd call before coming back here in the evening. I kissed him back and wished him a great day.

I felt a little lost after Edward left. Felix came back inside and Alec left a few minutes after Edward was gone. I turned the TV on and watched the morning news while Felix sat near me reading the paper.

His phone rang and as soon as he looked at the caller ID, his face became serious and answered the phone. "Good morning, Mr. Volturi… yes sir… right away sir," he said and hung up the phone. "Mr. Volturi would like to take you and Miss Cullen out to lunch today and expects us to be waiting for him in the lobby at 11 a.m."

"Okay, then I'd better go and wake Alice up now. She takes forever to get ready," I said causing Felix to chuckle.

**Jane's POV **

I was surprised when Aro told me to take a long lunch break as he wasn't returning to the office today. He seemed to be in a really good mood which was rare and I got very suspicious. I had picked up the rental car Irina arranged for me yesterday and followed Aro's limousine just like I had planned. I was shocked when I realized Aro's limo stop in front of the condo of the address Irina had told me where Bella and Alice now resided. I felt my blood boiling when I saw Bella and Alice step into Aro's limo with Felix trailing behind them in his car.

What shocked me more was when the limo stopped in front of the Space Needle. Aro Volturi did not mix with "tourists." I quickly parked my car and followed them as close as I can without getting noticed by them. My jaw dropped when they proceeded into the Sky City restaurant. This was definitely not the kind of establishment Aro would choose. He only had me book restaurants with private rooms. I was so angry he would step out of his comfort zone just to please that little bitch. Aro had his hands behind Alice and Bella's back as he escorted them into the restaurant. I would look suspicious if I stood around the entrance of the restaurant so I proceeded back to my car and waited for them to return to their limo.

I quickly slid down in my car and hid when I saw Emmett's jeep park just a few cars away from me. I slowly peeked from car and saw Rosalie and Emmett walk into the Space Needle. I assumed they were joining them for lunch. It pissed me off that it was no longer me who got included in these family lunches. Up until Bella Swan entered into our lives it was always me who accompanied Aro on his private lunches, dinners, and outings even if it was with the Cullens. Now I was excluded and I wasn't even asked to make reservations for him for his private affairs.

Thanksgiving was fast approaching and Aro hadn't even mentioned where he was going to take me and it was making me nervous. He usually asked me weeks in advance and let me choose where and he made all the necessary arrangements himself to surprise me. Last year we went to Cannes and stayed in a beautiful private villa. With so little time left to make any arrangements I had a bad feeling that our trip may not be happening. I was royally screwed and there was only one person to blame, Bella Swan.

Three hours later I saw them come out of the building and I noticed Bella and Alice holding several Space needle gift shop bags. It's not like I want anything from the gift shop but it enraged me that Aro would even step into such a store and that he probably accompanied them to the observation deck. It was just so out of character of him. Even when we went on trips abroad he never wanted to go anywhere touristy. He never stepped out of his comfort zone for me but seemed to have no problems bending over backwards for Bella. What was it about her that intrigued him so much?

I really needed to get rid of her, but I needed to act wisely and make sure if anything happened, Irina would take the fall, so that I could go back to where I belonged which was in the arms of Aro. I, not Bella Swan, was one day going to be Mrs. Aro Volturi.

I followed their cars again and when they all got out of their cars in front of a condo that wasn't familiar to me, I quickly jotted down the address and sent a text to Irina so that she could investigate why they were visiting this building. The building was a high rise with both offices and residences. I had wondered if maybe Rosalie and Emmett had moved here. I made a mental note to check up on their latest address.

An hour later they all stepped out of the building and left their separate ways. Bella and Alice got into Felix's car, Aro left on his own, and Rosalie and Emmett seemed to follow behind Aro's limo and probably were heading back towards the office, which meant that this was a cue for me to speed back to the office in case Aro was returning even though he said that he wasn't.

An hour after I was back in the office, Aro returned and called me to his room. "I thought you would've left for the day by now since I told you I wasn't returning."

"I needed to make sure all the arrangements were in order for next week's board meeting," I said plastering a smile on my face.

"Have I thanked you lately? Come here Jane, let me pleasure you," he said pushing his chair back and making room in front of him between his desk and chair. Lately this was all we had. Him pleasuring me while I sat on his desk or me on my knees pleasuring him. He never bothered to invite me to his mansion or visit me at my place.

I pleasured him back and he left for dinner to meet with a client _after_ he asked me to check up on a few things for him which ended up making me stay in the office until 10 p.m. while he was probably sipping expensive wine over a fine meal leaving me with not much of an option for dinner since it was so late.

I felt cheap and used but I sucked it up. Bella was just his new shiny toy for now and she'd be gone soon anyway. I or Irina would make sure of that.

**EPOV**

"What the fuck?" I yelled clearly pissed from the picture that was emailed to me from Emmett.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? This is wrong on so many levels!" I said flipping my phone over to show Jasper the picture.

Jasper started laughing so hard he had tears streaming down his cheeks. "Oh my God! Aro looks so out of place… but… I think he looks like he's enjoying himself. "

"Give it back," I said and snatched the phone back and really looked at the picture this time. Em, Rosalie, Alice, Bella, and Aro, really did look like they were enjoying their lunch. "Where the fuck is this?"

"I think it's the Space Needle," Jasper said still unable to control his laughs and stepped closer to me to look at the picture again. "This is too just too comical. Is that a burger in front of Aro?"

I really couldn't believe what I was seeing. Aro was dining at a restaurant in the Space Needle enjoying a burger. My uncle was most definitely not a burger kind of guy. It pissed me off that he was doing this all for Bella. He never even bothered to do any of this when Em, Alice, and I were kids when we begged him to take us there. While I angrily stared at the picture my phone buzzed again. Emmett had sent me another picture and it made my brows furrow.

"Let me see," Jasper said leaning in to see my phone. "Fuck! We have to send this to your parents. They're gonna flip."

"Tell me about it. He looks stupid in his dark suit smiling like The Count from Sesame Street on the observation deck standing between Bella and Alice."

"One, Two, Three, Four, ahhhahaha Five, Six, Seven, ahhahaha…" Jasper started imitating The Count counting the folders we were arranging placing documents into them.

"Shut up, Whitlock."

"What crawled up your ass? Come on, it's funny. Count von Aro," Jasper said and started to laugh again.

"I should've been the one to take her there. Not Aro!"

"Do I sense some jealousy, Cullen?"

"I'm not jealous. I'm just stating the fact that he shouldn't be socializing with her. She works for him. I'm pissed he's enjoying lunch and sightseeing while we're stuck here in the boardroom packing necessary documents into the folders for the board meeting next week."

"Yeah, but that's what us peons are hired to do."

"Grrrr."

"Take a chill pill, Cullen. I'm sure Duckling would've rather gone there with you but look at the pictures again. Duckling looks happy. Isn't that what you want? For Her to be happy?"

"Yeah. You're right. I'm just being an ass. I should be happy she had a nice time today and not stuck at the condo slaving away, helping Alice to organize her room," I said sighing. I missed Bella after seeing her in the pictures.

Aro was just the nail in the coffin. I had been pissy from first thing in the morning after I ran into Rosalie. She had asked me how my first night with Bella at her place went and when I looked at her like I didn't understand, she told me off that I was an idiot for not making the night special for her.

Since then I'd been in a bad mood. Rose pointed out the obvious; I was pissed at myself that none of that even crossed my mind; I'd fallen asleep while she was in the bathroom, and I had to dash out of her place without taking the time to cuddle her or anything this morning. I failed as a boyfriend and Aro had done a much better job than me taking care of her. I hate to admit that Aro was very good with the ladies.

I decided to stop sulking and get my work done here so I could leave at 5 on the dot and go romance Bella. Jasper said he was taking Alice out to dinner and wanted to know if we wanted to join them. I turned his offer down and told him I needed alone time with Bella.

Just before as I was about to fly out the door, Emmett called me to his office. "Dude, I heard you fucked up. Haven't you learned anything from me? Don't you remember all the times I had to grovel to Rosie to make her feel better for all the days she considered special like anniversaries and shit?"

"Don't rub it in, Em. Your woman already chewed me out. I will right the wrong. I just have to come up with something romantic."

"All right. Let me give you some tips. Girls love baths. I'm sure Bella isn't an exception. Remember that store I made you go to for Rosie? You know the place on Pine Street that you said you almost puked into the bowl of some kind of facial goo that looked like vomit? Rose loved their products. Oh yeah, now I remember. The place was called Lush. Go There. While you're at it, pick up some sexy lingerie for her. Maybe she'll give you a treat!" Emmett said waggling his brows.

I just shook my head but thanked him for his advice and headed out of his office. Bella and I weren't quite at the stage of buying lingerie for her so I decided to get the bath products Emmett suggested but was going to forgo the lingerie.

As soon as I stepped into Lush, I again felt like I was going to loose my cookies for the overpowering smell emanating from all the different products mixed together. I tried to breathe as shallow as I could and headed directly to the shelves where they had boxed gifts and chose a hatbox full of bath balls called bath bombs. Then I grabbed one of the girls working there and asked them to pick out some bath products and lotions that smelled like berries as I didn't want Bella to smell like bananas like ones Em got for Rose. She showed me several products and I didn't really care what they were so I told her to ring it up with the hatbox full of bath bombs.

I was relieved when I stepped out of the store. I was already getting a headache. I headed back into the car and had to think what kind of chocolates to get Bella. I didn't just want to get a box of chocolates. I wanted something more than that and then I remembered eating chocolate dipped strawberries from Godiva, which I really enjoyed, so I headed to the boutique to pick up a box. I texted Bella that I was picking up dinner and asked if she had any preference.

"_Surprise me_!" was the text she sent back. Yeah like that really helps. I just wanted to get home to Bella and the first place that caught my eye on the street was Chipotle so I stepped into the store and ordered a few burritos, chips, guac and salsa, and a salad and rushed back to her.

Out of my excitement I totally forgot about Felix's existence and as soon as the door opened, I shouted "Honey, I'm home!" earning a chuckle from him as he explained to me that he doesn't let Bella open the door for safety reasons.

I was embarrassed so I shoved the bag of food I got for Felix at him and rushed to the living room where I spotted Bella smiling and waving at me. "Honey, you're home," Bella said giggling.

I growled and grabbed her as we fell onto the couch. Life was good and I had the woman I loved in my arms. After several rounds of kissing, teasing, and tickling, Bella said she was hungry so we stopped messing around and started to eat.

"I'm sorry it's just burritos. I probably should've gotten you something nicer. I just grabbed the fastest thing so I can come home to you."

"What are you talking about? These are really great," Bella answered with a big smile on her face. Bella was cool like that. I don't think I've ever seen her unhappy with any of the food she was served. This fact made me both happy and sad at the same time. It reminded me of how deprived she was for the time she spent with Phil after her mother had passed away.

"How was your day today?"

"Oh my Gosh! I have so much to tell you. I had so much fun today. You know, I always thought Aro was creepy but he was actually normal and really nice today. He took Alice and me out sightseeing and to lunch at the Space Needle. Can you believe it?" Bella said excitedly.

"I can," I said chuckling. "Emmett sent me pictures." I found it funny that she mentioned Aro was normal when I thought he was so not acting like himself today.

"What! Let me see."

I pulled my phone out and showed her the two pictures Emmett had sent me. Bella started laughing when she saw the picture of her, Alice, and Aro together. "Oh I just remembered something. Can I have my phone back for a second? I wanna send those pictures to my parents," I explained to Bella and she handed it back to me laughing.

"I got you something from the gift shop there," Bella said getting up from the couch.

"I got you something too!"

"Why? Did you go sightseeing also?"

"I was slaving my ass off at work all day, but I wanted to do something special for you as I didn't do anything special last night when it was our first night together here at your place."

Bella gasped. "Did I say something while I was sleeping?" she asked; covering her mouth.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me. I always want you to be honest with me."

"It's silly."

"Bella, spill."

"Well I was kind of excited that it was our first night together so when I came out of the bathroom I was a little disappointed that you had fallen asleep. But I understand that you were exhausted and had to be up early. I'm not complaining." Bella explained and I tried to not show it but I was inwardly frowning that I let Bella down. Hearing the words from her was a much bigger blow than Rosalie chewing my head off.

"So, this is my little gift to woo you. A box of chocolate dipped strawberries and some girly things for the bathroom."

"I'm officially woo'd," Bella smiled and gave me a kiss. "Oh, these strawberries look so gooood. May I share some with Felix?"

"Of course," I said smiling at her. Bella was always so considerate and caring. She never neglected or treated Felix and Alec any differently than she did others. They were never hired help in her eyes; they were her protectors; something close to a super hero. I wasn't jealous of them as in my eyes they were just like who Bella saw them as. They were ones who protected her when I couldn't and they were much more capable than I at protecting her.

I laughed when she showed me the souvenirs she had bought me including a Space Needle T shirt, mug, elevator floating pen, and salt and pepper shakers.

"Oh, the salt and pepper shakers are from Alice to you. She said to say 'at least this is more stylish than the crap you gave us.' Oh, look what Aro bought for Alice and me for a housewarming gift," she announced excitedly pulling out few bags of pasta shaped like the Space Needle, several bags of coffee, a T-shirt, a Space Needle peppermill, and a Space Needle snow globe bottle stopper.

I had to hand it to Aro. What he got for them worked great as a housewarming gift even though he probably paid an outrageous amount just because it was Space Needle merchandise.

Bella was busy opening the gift from Lush I got for her. "Edward! I love these. Oh God these balls smell so good. How much did you spend on me? I know these things are frickin' expensive because I saw them online. These balls are like 5 bucks each. You work really hard for your money; you shouldn't waste it on me."

"I only want the best for my girl," I said grabbing her and leaning in for a kiss. "What else did you do today?"

"Oh! Felix took Alice and me to the bank. We both have a bank account here. We deposited the check Aro gave me for my living expenses and I ordered Curious George printed checks. I bet Emmett is going to be really jealous!"

"How will he know you have a Curious George checks?"

"Oh, I didn't think of that. I guess I'll have to write him a dollar check," Bella answered giggling.

My girl was really happy and her excitement was contagious as I also felt giddy. Somehow the cheesy gifts she got for me at the gift shop no longer seemed silly.

After devouring all the strawberries we said goodnight to Felix and retreated to the bedroom.

**BPOV**

It felt good snuggling up to Edward on my bed as we just relaxed on my heavenly, outrageously high thread count sheets. Until I met the Cullens I never knew what thread counts were. Sheets were sheets; they were either new sheets, clean sheets or dirty sheets.

"So, you wanna try out the bath bomb together?" Edward asked smirking causing my jaw to drop. I blinked several times at him because I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly.

"Umm…what did you say?" I asked nervously.

"I asked if you want to try out the bath bomb. Like you and me in the tub together?" Edward repeated winking. I froze when he confirmed that I had heard him correctly the first time. "Breathe, Bella," Edward said with a worried look.

"You'll see me naked!" I gasped.

"Well not necessarily if we use the bath bars. Remember there were some shroom looking things in the box? The girl at the check-out counter explained to me that those are bubble bath bars. I won't be able to see you naked if the tub is full of bubbles," Edward explained with his puppy eyes begging for me to say yes. "It'll be fun. We can turn off the lights and light some candles. We can steal some candles from Alice. It'll be relaxing!"

Relaxing? I doubted that. I'd be too nervous in the tub naked with Edward. For me this was going to be a huge step up from where we were as a couple physically. "Okay," I replied in almost a whisper looking at my hands. I wasn't sure if he heard me but when I looked up he had the biggest smile on his face.

"I'll go and run the bath," Edward said jumping off the bed as he grabbed the mushroom shaped bath bubble bar from the box. He looked like he was almost skipping to the bathroom. _I think I can… I think I can… _ I repeated to myself silently. This was the mantra my mom taught me to repeat when I got nervous and doubted myself. "The Little Engine that Could," was one of my favorite bed time stories when I was a child.

I quickly took off my clothes and threw the terry robe on me. I didn't want to undress in front of Edward. I felt like my heart was going to pop out of my mouth.

"Bath is ready! Oh! You're already undressed."

"Ummm. Would you stay here and come in after I'm in the tub?"

"Bella, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. I don't want you to do something that makes you uncomfortable."

"I want to but I'm nervous. Please?"

"Anything you want, baby," Edward said and wrapped his arms around me as he gave me a kiss on my nose.

I went into the bathroom, tossed the robe on the floor, and quickly got into the tub. I gathered the foams towards me and then called out to Edward to come in. I covered my eyes with my hands and waited for Edward to get in.

"Babe, you don't have to keep your eyes closed. I don't mind you seeing me. In fact I want you to see me. You're my girlfriend. I want you to get used to seeing me naked."

"Maybe another time?" I asked and waited for Edward to get in the tub.

"Okay. If that makes you feel more comfortable," Edward said chuckling as he got into the tub across from me. The tub was huge so there was plenty of room without needing to squeeze our bodies in. Edward had one of his arms behind his back and when he brought it forward he opened his hand and showed me a rubber ducky.

"Where the hell did you get that from?"

"Alice" He answered laughing.

I decided to be daring and scooted towards Edward and wrapped my arms around his neck. I lay my head on his shoulder and pressed my breasts onto his chest. Edward wrapped his arms around me and whispered " I love you," to me.

We stayed in the tub like that until we heard Alice and Lone's voice from my bedroom. "Where the hell are they?" I heard Alice ask.

Then suddenly the door to the bathroom opened and I buried my face into Edward's neck.

"What the fuck! Get out, Whitlock!" Edward shouted.

"Sorry, sorry!" Lone said laughing but he didn't seem like he was going to leave.

"Oh my God! They're so cute!" Alice said sounding like she was also in the doorway now.

"Get the fuck outta here!" Edward shouted again and threw the duckling towards them.

"Okay! Okay! Leaving!" Alice said giggling and I finally heard the door close.

"Let's get out before they come back and bother us again," I suggested to Edward.

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll just go. You stay," Edward said and I pulled myself away from him as he stepped out of the tub. "Take your time. I'll guard the door to make sure they don't bother you."

I didn't mean to but I didn't realize I was staring at Edward while he toweled himself off. "Like what you see?" he asked winking.

"Sorry!" I said and covered my eyes.

"Nothin' to be embarrassed about. I like you looking at me." Edward said and left the bathroom.

I quickly toweled myself off and threw the robe on myself. When I entered the bedroom Edward wasn't there. I changed into my yoga pants and T shirt and headed to the living room in search for him.

I noticed that Felix was gone and was now replaced by Alec. He was laughing at Edward and Lone's banter over their penis being larger and how many donuts they can hang on it. Lone was counting the donuts left over from this morning imitating The Count from Sesame Street and Edward was laughing with tears running down his cheeks and saying something about Aro and that Aro could probably only hang one on his dick. It must've been some kind of inside joke as Alice wasn't laughing along with them. Men are such kids!

"I'm going to bed!" I announced to them and Edward waved at Alice and Lone and ran after me towards the bedroom. He swooped me off my feet and tossed himself onto the bed with me wrapped in his arms.

"If you keep up with this, we're going to bust the mattress."

"I'll buy you a new one. Well, probably not the same one. You wouldn't mind a cheaper mattress would you?" Edward said batting his eyelashes at me.

"I do mind. I love this mattress. If you break it, you replace it with the same one," I feigned a scowl.

"Let's get under the covers," Edward said sliding under the covers and lifting my side up for me. "Good night, baby. I love you." Edward said pulling me closer to him.

"I love you too," I responded giving him a kiss. I rested my head on his chest and watched his chest rise up and down until I felt myself drifting to sleep as I wondered if Edward had planned on doing more in bed with me tonight but my eyelids were just too heavy and I could no longer lift my head up. I had a long and exciting day and I was exhausted.

**A/N**

Thank you for reading the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a feedback and let me know your thoughts.

Thank you for all the messages you've all sent me. Now that almost three weeks have passed since the earthquake and tsunami hit us, we're now dealing with the aftermath.

You try to be prepared but you just never think it can happen to you. I live in Tokyo so what we are experiencing is totally different from the people living in the areas where the earthquake and tsunami hit, or where the nuclear plants are.

I thought I'd share what I experienced when the quake hit. What most of you probably see is mostly what is happening to the people living in the areas where the tsunami hit or the areas near the nuclear plant.

When the quake hit at a little before 3pm I was on the balcony with my boss in the office. When the quake started it was so strong, something I had never experienced in my life, I quickly ran down the stairs and opened the door as I had learned from an old colleague of mine who went through the quake in Kobe that if you don't open doors made out of steel if the building start to go down it would become impossible to open as you can't break that type of door that easily.

The first quake was so long and strong I was screaming the whole time. It's not easy to stay calm. You always hear who say try to stay calm, but when you start to see cracks forming in the walls and tiles falling, yeah, that's just not going to happen. We, the Japanese are used to earthquakes but this was something none of us had ever experienced before. We evacuated the building and huddled outside.

The first thing we all started to do was to try to reach our loved ones. Which wasn't happening as the cell phone access got restricted. Only the land line was operating and it took us several hours to get through as the phone lines were too busy.

Aftershocks kept coming one after the other and they were quite strong. Thankfully due to the landline semi functioning, we were able to access the internet so I got through to some of my friends and family through the internet. I couldn't thank Facebook enough.

At that point, all trains stopped running and roads were congested like crazy as taxis, cars, and buses were the only means of travel. The government had set up refuge centers at universities, auditoriums, theaters, schools, and government buildings so that people could stay there overnight since the public transportation was crippled. Many people walked hours and hours to get home. One of my cousins even hitchhiked to get home.

I was one of the lucky ones, as my brother in law drives to work so he came to pick my sister and I up and we got to go home although it took us almost 6 hours when it would normally take us only like 40 minutes by car. That's how congested the roads were..

I was at loss for words when I finally saw the devastation the earthquake and the tsunami had created on the TV. I went into survival mode and all I could think was to keep my family together and to keep them safe. For the first week I think all I really did was sit in front of the TV and watch the news or gather items we would need if we got hit by another huge quake since at that point we were told there was 90% chance of a quake just as large or larger could still hit us. I went out and bought backpacks and filled it with water bottles, food, flashlight, batteries, blanket, whistle, etc.

Then came the nuclear meltdown scare. Then came contamination of produce and water from the radioactive materials, scheduled blackouts, and food and water became scarce as well as gasoline.

Many of us started to feel very scared when foreign embassies started to encourage people to get out of the country or move to areas further south west of Tokyo. Many people I know from Tokyo went to Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto for several days while things were very tense in regards to the nuclear power plant.

Unless you go shopping in the morning, there is no water, rice, bread, and milk. It's tough when you are working because you can't go grocery shopping until after work. I had never seen so many empty shelves in the super markets before.

Things are getting a little better. We have more trains running so people aren't spilling out of train stations due to lack of numbers of trains operating now but still the trains are packed that commuting to and from work is excruciating.

We're all trying not to complain as things are incredibly better for us here than in areas where people lost their homes and their loved ones and are now living in shelters. The government is now encouraging all of us who aren't directly affected from the earthquakes and tsunamis to resume our lives as close to what it was before. Hence the reason I decided to go back to writing my story. It's quite hard to go back to how things were. I don't think many of us feel like going out to socialize, go shopping, go watch movies, etc. Entertainment is probably the furthest thing on our minds right now.

Regular TV programs and commercials are finally back but a lot of us still are glued to the news. We'll probably all stay that way until we are in the clear from the nuclear power plant problems.

I just want to thank all the people worldwide who are helping us through this crisis. We can't thank you all enough. Without all of your help I don't think things could've improved as much as it has. Thank you.


	22. Chapter 21 Male Bonding

Disclamer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to JCook169 for her constant support and her fantastic editing skills.

**Chapter 21 Male bonding**

**EPOV**

Time flew by in a blur. We were now packing to leave for Forks for the Thanksgiving holiday. With Bella now working during the day in the Shangri-la office she sometimes lost track of time, so I was only greeted by Alice when I stopped by their place after work. I wanted to go and pick Bella up from her office but had been banned by Aro for security reasons. The day Bella had gone to lunch with Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Aro, Rosalie spotted a car that seemed to be following them around and brought the issue up to Aro. Aro now had a PI looking into the situation but so far had no good leads. The car was a rental and it was rented out to a large tourist company who didn't keep records properly and had no idea who had the car and was not willing to provide any additional information due to privacy reasons. There wasn't sufficient reason to get a subpoena and they weren't willing to be bribed to give out the list.

I wanted Bella to ride with me down to Forks but Felix and Alec wouldn't allow it, and Alice was riding with Jasper, so I got stuck driving down to Forks alone, as I wanted to have my car in Forks so that I could get around freely.

Last night Bella and I discussed that we were going to come clean to her dad that we were now dating. I think Bella was more nervous about this than I was. She says she still hasn't figured out her dad well enough to make an educated guess as to how he would react. We both agreed that he was extremely protective of Bella and would ensure no harm came to her and that could easily include men who might hurt her including ones who had the possibility of breaking her heart.

I reasoned with her that by keeping him in the dark and him finding out later that we were seeing each other behind his back would only complicate things. Just for that reason alone he may never approve of us but it's not like he could really ban her from seeing me now that she was no longer a minor. He may say that he wouldn't approve of us being together but if that happened I assured her that I would do everything in my power to try to convince him otherwise but if he still didn't budge we would ignore him and do what our hearts wanted.

Bella agreed but she didn't like it. She kept saying she was no longer a minor so her dad's opinion shouldn't matter. She also mentioned that in movies college girls brought their boyfriends home to introduce them and it wasn't done to get approval.

I tried to explain to her that in his eyes Bella was still his little girl and because Chief Swan already knew me it was important that we talked to him about us. We decided to talk to the Chief after Thanksgiving dinner so that we could all enjoy dinner in peace just in case things went south but that I'd give a heads up to my mom beforehand that I was going to talk to him after dinner.

The ride down to Forks was incredibly boring but I survived it. I went straight to my parents' house without stopping at Bella's since Felix and Alec was dropping her off. Chief Swan requested that Felix and Alec stay at our place and give he and Bella some much needed father and daughter time since he barely had her in his home since she stayed with us while she had the casts on her.

I was a bit bummed that I wouldn't see Bella tonight. They were coming over to dinner at our place tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Tonight Bella said she was having dinner with the Blacks with her father on the reservation. Jasper's aunt also lived on the reservation so they made plans to hang out on the res after dinner. I felt excluded but I no longer felt jealous since Jasper was dating my sister and I could clearly see that he only saw Bella like his sister and nothing more than that.

Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice were driving back to Seattle on Black Friday to go shopping but Jasper, Bella and I were staying in Forks until Sunday. Bella and Jasper did most of their Christmas shopping online anyway so I wasn't surprised when they said they weren't interested in going shopping when Rosalie and Alice asked us if we were interested in driving back to Seattle along with them; making stops along the way to make it a little road trip before the main shopping adventure in Seattle.

I was surprised to see Emmett and Rosalie relaxed on the couch when I entered my parents' home as I wasn't expecting them so early. "You guys are early. I didn't think you were coming until Thursday morning."

"I'm not going to miss out on Mom's preparation of the dinner. She always lets me sample the good stuff," Emmett explained grinning.

"So you're gonna help Mom?"

"Edward, are you stupid? He's only going to get in the way of Esme but she loves you kids so much that she seems to enjoy Emmett's interruption while she's cooking every year."

I waved at Emmett and Rosalie and decided to go find Mom to alert her of my plan to talk to Chief Swan tomorrow after Thanksgiving dinner.

"Welcome home, dear," Mom said giving me a hug. I hugged her back and told her that it was nice to be home. Things could definitely be better since James was still on the run and we were still in the dark as to whom and why there was someone trailing us but being home relaxed me; washing away the stress I had been feeling. Bella was happy, uninjured, and was safely protected by Felix, Alec, and her father so I was going to sit back, relax, and enjoy my time here at home..

After I discussed with my mom that Bella and I planned to come clean to the Chief that we were seeing each other, she agreed that it was a good idea. She commented the she was unsure how he would react but she also thought it was better he heard it from us than from someone else later.

Jasper dropped Alice off and left for the reservation to spend time with his aunt. I had to help him unload all of Alice's stuff into the house. There were boxes of coffee beans, fresh produce from Farmers market, pies and cakes she brought home for Mom. Now I felt bad that I didn't bring anything with me and wondered if Emmett did. Oh well, maybe next time I'll remember.

Mom suggested Em, Rosalie, Alice and I head to Port Angeles and catch a movie before dinner. We couldn't really think of anything else to do so we followed her suggestion and headed out to Port Angeles.

**BPOV**

Dad welcomed me home hugging me tightly and seemed like he wouldn't ever let go. "Dad, I really need to pee," I said and he let me go immediately. I headed to the bathroom while he trailed behind me carrying my luggage. Alice bought a lot of food for her mom in Seattle but since Dad and I didn't have any plans to cook this weekend I didn't bother. I brought the pasta shaped like the Space Needle I got for him at the gift shop and some bottled spaghetti sauce. He knows how to boil pasta so at least I was providing some meals for him after I left.

We sat in front of the TV and I shared some of the pictures I took while I was in Seattle and he seemed to be having mixed emotions, looking happy and sad at the same.

"You're all grown up now," he said sighing. "I wish I could turn back time and spend it with you, watching you grow up. Taking you to parks, school, buying you toys… I wish I was with you holding your hand on your first day of school. I missed all that and now you're on your own and don't need me anymore." My dad said deep in thought.

"Dad, I'm always going to need you," I assured him but he didn't look convinced. His smile didn't reach his eyes which were filled with regret and sadness.

Time came for us to leave for the Blacks for dinner. I wasn't really keen on going, but Dad seemed to really want me there with him so I tried to not let it show. I was surprised to see a lot of people sitting around on their front lawn. There were lots of picnic tables and several grills going. Billy greeted us and showed us our table which included him and Jake. Food was great and conversation flowed smoothly although most of it was about fishing trips my dad took with Billy.

"How is living in Seattle, Bella?" Billy asked.

"I'm sure she's having a blast. She lives like a celebrity, in one of those luxurious condos with a doorman and 24/7 Concierge desk," my dad answered. Everyone laughed but I caught his expression. He had that same look he did earlier a mixture of sadness and regret.

"I would've been perfectly happy as long as I had a roof over my head and internet connection."

"Can I come and visit sometimes?" Jake asked with excitement in his eyes.

"Uh… sure," I couldn't really think of anything better to say. I didn't really know Jake.

"Have you done some sightseeing, Bella?" Billy asked. He seemed to be very intrigued with my life in Seattle.

"Um…not much. I've been to the Space Needle though. It was fun."

Jake introduced me to his friends while my dad and Billy went to another table to join some of their friends.

"So Bella, what do you do in Seattle?" Paul, one of Jake's friends asked.

"Umm…I'm gonna start attending U-Dub in the spring semester."

"That's awesome! Paul and I go there too," Jake's friend, Embry, joined in our conversation excitedly.

"Oh? Are you two freshmen there?"

"Nah. We're sophomores. We can give you tips on who's class to take for the core requirements. You don't want to get stuck with the awful professors when you could ace through the courses if you select the right ones. Here, let's exchange numbers," Paul said pulling out his phone. We exchanged our numbers and Jake wanted to exchange numbers with me as well.

"Where's your place at? Near U-Dub?" Embry asked.

"Alice and I live in the Queen Anne district."

"Seriously? Wow I'd love to see what your place looks like. We share a house with some other guys from the res in Columbia city. You should come and hang out sometimes." Paul said smiling.

"I'd like that. Would it be okay if I brought my roommate, Alice, along? Dad doesn't really want me doing things on my own."

"Hey, more the merrier. We'll come pick you girls up."

"Yeah. Umm… about that, I have a ride. I'm not allowed to go anywhere without security," I said suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable about my arrangements. Until now having Felix and Alec with me at all times never bothered me, but I guess that was because I never hung out with anyone else except for the people who knew about my situation in regards to James.

"You lost me completely. Are you saying you have bodyguards? I didn't know you were some kind of celebrity," Embry said looking confused.

"Oh no. I'm just Bella, daughter of the chief of police of Forks. I'm no celebrity."

"Then why do you need bodyguards?" Embry asked looking even more confused.

"Guys, back off. What's with all the questions? She's here to relax and have fun."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to pry but... are you in some kind of danger?" Embry asked.

"Ummm. I'm not sure exactly but for precaution I get driven around and have two guys providing me security. I'm not sure if you remember about the accident I had here few months ago?"

"Oh my God! I totally forgot about that incident. I'm sorry. I remember seeing you in a wheelchair and that what happened wasn't an accident but that someone attacked you. Of course Chief Swan has you protected. Are you all right now?" Paul asked worriedly.

"Everything is as okay as it can be considering the fact that the person who run me over is still on the loose."

"Just know we have your back. If you ever feel scared or need a friend to be with you, call us anytime, day or night, or come over to our place," Paul offered.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," I said smiling. I couldn't really tell them about Edward since Dad still didn't know about us.

Dad and Billy returned to our table while Embry was telling me about his other roommates. Jake invited me to a bonfire they were having later but I politely declined that I already had plans of getting together with Jasper. We headed home after desserts and on our ride home Lone called to apologize that he needed to cancel our plans for tonight as he was still in Port Angeles with his aunt and uncle. Once we got home Dad and I settled down in the living room and turned on the T.V. I started to doze off on the couch so we decided to call it a night and headed to our own beds. Dad said he was taking me out to breakfast at the diner since he didn't really have anything in his fridge to eat.

Once I was in the bedroom I turned my laptop on and found Edward online and started to chat with him. It was kind of weird seeing him on my webcam and not having him at my side. I got too used to having him around me and in my bed at night. I wondered if I would be able to sleep tonight. I told him that I missed him and wished that he was with me in my bed. As soon as I mentioned that, he asked me what my dad was doing and I told him he went to bed and that I could hear him snoring. He asked me if he was a deep sleeper and I told him that nothing would wake him from his sleep until his alarm clock went off. Then he suddenly said he'll call me in a little while later and that he had something important he needed to attend to.

Half an hour later my phone rang and Edward told me to go to my window and open it. I looked out the window but found nothing wrong so as I stepped away from the window, I saw someone jumping from the tree into my room through the window. Before I could scream my mouth was covered and I heard a whisper. "It's me, Edward. It's just me," the guy assured and as soon as I noticed his voice and his smell I calmed down.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I whispered still shocked to see him in my room.

"You said you wished I was in your bed, so I'm going to stay with you until you fall asleep," he whispered.

"Where did you park? Someone might say something to Dad."

"I'm not stupid. I rode my dad's bike over and hid it in the woods. I missed you, Bella," Edward said before he kissed me. He lifted me in his arms and carried me to my bed.

I snuggled up to him as he held me in his arms. It felt so good that all my worries that he might fall asleep too and the thought that we might get caught by my dad went down the drain. A few minutes later I could no longer keep my eyes open.

When I awoke the sun was shining through my window since the drapes weren't drawn and I found no sign of Edward. I looked around for a note and was sad to find that there was none although there was a Sharpie lying around on the bed.

I went to take a shower and as I was grabbing a towel, I noticed something in the palm of my hand. When I looked at it there was a small **I heart U **and the letter** E** drawn underneath it. I laughed at the thought that I didn't even notice him drawing on my hand and shuddered at the realization that I could have had something horrible drawn on my face if it were Emmett and not Edward. I made a mental note to lock the door to my bedroom in Seattle.

I was careful not to get what Edward drew come off in the shower. It was kinda hard to wash my hair with just one hand. It was also probably unsanitary that I avoided washing that spot on my hand but I was sure I wouldn't die from it.

After breakfast at the diner, my dad took me to the station as he needed to finish up on some paper work, but wouldn't drop me off at home as I would be alone and he wasn't having any of that. I told him I needed some time to shower and get ready for dinner at the Cullens and didn't want to be rushed. He promised that he'd take me back with plenty of time to make myself pretty, his words, not mine.

I was bored and had nothing much to do so I texted Alice to ask what an appropriate attire for Thanksgiving dinner was. Was I supposed to wear something with fall season colors like orange, brown, and yellows? I decided to just wear dark brown pants, white wrap blouse, and a forest green knit cardigan.

I sent a text to Edward and Alice when we were on our way to their house. Carlisle greeted us and began to escort us to the living room but Alice immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the stairs telling my dad and Carlisle that she needed a girly moment with me.

"So, spill. Why the hell was Edward sneaking out of the house and returning after midnight?"

"You were awake?"

"I was on the phone with Jasper and looking out the window when I noticed him sneak out of the house, on a bicycle if I may add."

"He snuck into my room," I answered chuckling.

"Awww. That's just so cute. What have you done to my brother? Edward was always the cool one. I cannot imagine him doing something so sweet and stupid. He could've been easily caught by your dad"

"Well I guess you don't know the side of your brother that he shows me. It would be creepy if you saw that side of him anyway since he's your brother. He is amazingly sweet. Look!" I said showing my palm to her.

I snatched my hand away from her when she licked her finger and was about to rub the thing off of my hand. "Ew, Alice. Cut it out."

"I'm jealous. I don't think Jasper would ever think of doing something like that. He's too geeky."

"You'd be surprised. Us geeks have a lot of information. We just don't act or use those information often enough."

Dinner was almost ready so Carlisle called us down to the dining room. I was surprised when I saw Aro talking to my dad and Carlisle. I never guessed he was coming. When I asked Alice she said she was surprised as well but Esme looked the most surprised. Alice explained to me that Aro almost never visited them during Thanksgiving.

Carlisle and Esme sat at opposite ends of the table and Dad and I were seated beside Carlisle on his right and Aro sat on the left of Carlisle. Beside Esme on her right were Lone's uncle, aunt, Lone and Edward. On Esme's left were Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice. Esme was awesome at making the seating arrangement as I ended up sitting across from Edward and Alice sat across from Lone. Not only was I facing Edward but Alice was beside me.

While Esme was preparing the desserts with help from Alice, Edward sent me a text saying he thought we should wait to tell Dad about us until he came to get me Friday morning to hang out at Port Angeles with him and Lone since Aro was here tonight. He said he'll arrive earlier than Lone and talk to my dad. I agreed that it was a good idea but my dad scowled at me for texting at the table. I made a funny face at him causing him to chuckle.

After desserts Aro left to go back to Seattle and we also left at the same time Lone left with his uncle and aunt.

**EPOV**

I thought I wouldn't be nervous but I was nervous as hell on my drive to Bella's Friday morning. I doubted Chief Swan would threaten me with a gun to leave his home once we spoke to him about Bella and I seeing each other, but the thought had crossed my mind. Bella was his only daughter and she was precious to him.

Bella opened the door and greeted me but she also looked really nervous. I asked Jasper to leave his house after I called him in case we might need to scrap our plans of going to Port Angeles with Bella if I upset Chief Swan and he asks me to leave.

The Chief was lounging in his recliner watching sports when I entered their house. Bella and I sat on the couch and it was Bella who opened her mouth first.

"Dad, Edward and I have something we want to talk to you about," Bella said nervously.

Her father sat up from his recliner abruptly and looked at us in shock. "You're pregnant!" His face drained of all color and he looked like he was going to vomit.

"Dad! Have you gone mad? I'm a virgin for crying out loud," she yelled and covered her mouth blushing when she realized what she just admitted.

The Chief looked relieved but narrowed his eyes at us. "What do you guys need to talk about then?"

"We're dating." Bella declared. I wished she would've let me take the lead as I had the whole speech made up in my mind of how I was going to broach the subject.

"Is that all you two want to tell me?" The expression on his face softened and looked relieved. He almost looked like what we told him was not news to him.

"Errr. Yeah. That's all." Bella muttered.

"Kids. I'm the Chief of Police so I'm trained to read people. Did you two think I didn't notice the way you look at each other, avoid standing close to each other when I'm around, and the way you two seem to gravitate towards each other stealing glances when you thought others weren't looking?"

I was at loss for words. The Chief was far more observant than I gave him credit for. Bella seemed shocked as well.

"Frankly I'm not ecstatic about it. When I first noticed the way you two look at each other I was furious. I then noticed that Bells looked happy; very happy. It reminded me of the way your mother used to look at me. It took some lecturing from Billy for me to calm down and accept that you were no longer my little girl. I just don't want you two to make the kind of mistake I made with your mother. Bells, you're very young. You haven't even started college yet," Chief Swan said and Bella was about to open her mouth and say something to him so I gently squeezed her hand; hoping she would take the hint that I didn't think it was wise to interrupt him. He continued what he wanted to say after he realized that Bella wasn't going to say anything.

"Bella, I realize that maybe I'm taking what's going on between you two too seriously but I just don't want things that happened between your mom and me to happen to you. You are the best thing that has happened to me but I still regret the actions I took when I was younger. I wasn't ready to be a husband. I don't think your mom was ready for marriage either. I want the world for you. Nothing seems to be normal when it comes to you but in my mind I have this image of you falling in love with someone in college and experience things together. Dating Edward is going to be different. He's going to be busy working and you'll end up going to school functions alone when you can go with your boyfriend if you had a boyfriend in school."

"Dad, I'm not the type to go to school functions anyway," Bella interrupted her father.

"That's exactly it. I want you to experience all the things you can only do while you're in college. If you had a college boyfriend it's likely he'll want to go and on some occasions you might be persuaded enough to go. With Edward, that won't be happening," Chief Swan explained, his voice growing a little. "I like you Edward. You're good to Bella and you make her happy but the fact that you are older does complicate some things. I don't plan to get in the way of you two if you want to keep seeing each other but know that I warned you two that this relationship isn't going to be easy."

"Dad, how could you say such mean things!" Bella said huffing. I squeezed her hand a little harder this time so that she would stop answering back at him. This was the time for us to keep our thoughts to ourselves. It would just be stupid to piss Chief Swan off as he already said he wasn't going to come between us.

"Bella, I love you and I'm not trying to be mean. I just don't want you to go into this thing with Edward thinking things are always going to be rosy. You're in school and you also work for Aro and Edward will be really busy too. When you get busy the first thing that breaks down is communication. You start to assume things and make decisions for the other just because you don't have time to find out what their wishes are. You mom made that mistake of not asking me and letting me know what she wanted and I also made the mistake of not keeping my eyes and ears open to what was happening between us. I don't want the same thing happening to you too. I'm telling you all this because the relationship you are going to be in with Edward is going to be more mature than what you would expect from one with another 18 year old. People around him are going to be more mature and will expect you to act mature," Chief Swan explained. I don't think I've ever seen her father talk so much. I felt a little scared as he was taking our relationship very seriously maybe even more than Bella and I. We were only dating but the chief bringing up the troubles he had with his wife was making it sound like what we have now was a prelude into marriage. I loved Bella but marriage was just not something on the table yet.

"Edward, you are the mature one in this relationship so I expect you to look out and care for her. I will hunt you down and hurt you if you hurt my Bells. Now go do whatever you two planned on doing today."

I decided it was probably best not to add my comments to his warnings. I thanked him for his understanding before we headed out to Port Angeles. I called Jasper to meet us at the pizza place there. He was anxious to know how it went so I just told him that I was still alive and that I'd explain the details to him when he arrived.

Bella was hemming and hawing about how wrong her dad was and that she wanted me and not some college kid who was probably only after getting into her pants. I felt ashamed as I also wanted to get into her pants. She was upset that he sounded like things were doomed between us.

"Your dad is just worried about you and wants the best for you. He was correct in saying that there will be times when I can't be around because of work. Jasper will be around until June so there will be times when Alice will have Jasper but you'll be alone and might feel left out."

"Not everyone has boyfriends from the same school and the fact that I'll see you when you come home to me is more than enough," Bella commented glaring at me. She looked pissed that I was agreeing on the points her dad raised.

"I love you," I said and squeezed her hand. Bella picked my hand up and kissed my knuckles.

Felix and Alec came back to Forks early this morning after being gone all day yesterday to be with their loved ones for Thanksgiving. Charlie assured them that he was fine to take care of Bella on his own as he wasn't going to leave her alone. So now they were trailing behind us in their car as we headed to Port Angeles.

"Oh you two don't look so happy. Did things go bad with Chief Swan?" Jasper said as he slipped into the booth we were sitting at the pizza place.

"Nah. He already knew. He wasn't happy but he was accepting." I explained to him.

"What? Chief Swan knew? Well I'll be damned. So if he knew then what's the glum face for ?"

"I didn't like it that my dad thinks things are going to be hard for us. It was like he thought we were setting ourselves up for failure," Bella answered scowling.

"Bella, I don't think he meant it that way. He just wants you to be happy and wants things to be easy on you."

"All relationships are hard right? Ours can't be any different. Just because you're older and not in school doesn't mean I'll be less happy. Even if I dated someone in school instead of you, that guy could hurt me. He's going to be more immature than you. You have more experience on you."

"Guys, stop worrying. Whatever will happen, will happen and I'm sure you two will work through it. You guys are good for each other and I have no doubt that if anyone can do it, it's you two. Oh and by the way, after this I'm taking off. I'm heading back to Seattle. Alice misses me."

"Aww. That's sweet. Take her out on a romantic dinner."

"Oh I plan to. Especially since there's no one else at you guys' condo," Jasper said winking at Bella.

After we finished our pizzas Bella and I headed to my parents' house. We had the house to ourselves as my parents had gone for an overnight trip to Port Townsend to visit a winery and stay at a bed and breakfast near it.

Bella was still in a funk and I tried my damn hardest to whip her out of it but was failing miserably. We made some popcorn and decided to just cuddle on the couch and watch some movies. We had a lot of time until I had to drop Bella back at the station so Chief Swan could take her out to dinner. Bella asked me if I wanted to join them but I politely declined. This weekend was the Chief's time to spend with Bella. Once we were back in Seattle I had her all to myself.

I showered her with kisses and repeatedly told her I loved her. I tickled and teased her and realized we were making out on the couch when I heard throats clear. We realized we were giving a free show to Felix and Alec. We totally forgot about their presence when we got carried away. Bella turned crimson and mumbled that it was probably best if I dropped her off at the station. She seemed to be in a better mood finally and I was relieved she wouldn't act like a sour puss toward her dad. Felix and Alec trailed behind my car and escorted her into the station with me.

Chief Swan looked glum sitting at his desk but as soon as he saw Bella's face, his expression changed and he was all smiles. He really loved his daughter and I couldn't be mad at him for the speech he made to us. He was worried about the her well being and I'm sure no parent thought someone out of college was ideal for their eighteen year old daughter.

After we dropped her off, we headed back to my parents' place to shoot some pool and get drunk since they were no longer on duty tonight. Around midnight when we were drunk off our asses, well more like just Alec and I were drunk, we heard banging on our door. Felix went to get the door as he was the least drunk. I heard Chief Swan's voice from the foyer and the door close. I was surprised when Felix returned with Bella trailing behind.

"Sweetheart, what happened? Did you miss me? I would've gone to you again tonight if you had called," I said to Bella teasingly.

"There was an accident just outside of Forks and they needed Dad's assistance. He didn't want to leave me at home alone so he dropped me off here." She looked like she had slept on the way here in her father's cruiser.

"Well guys, I think that's my cue to take Bella upstairs. Good night!" I said rushing from excitement. I wasn't expecting to be able to spend time with her tonight so I didn't want to waste a single minute. I grabbed Bella's hand and escorted her upstairs to the guestroom quickly. "So I guess I get to sleep with you again tonight. I'll go back to my room after you fall asleep."

"Okay," Bella said and snuggled up to me.

I didn't realize that I fell asleep in the guest bedroom until Alec came in and shook me awake.

"What's wrong? I said before noticing that I was asleep with my arms wrapped around Bella.

"It's 7a.m and Chief Swan's here. It would benefit all of us if you went back to your bedroom. Felix is keeping him occupied right now so you could make your escape but it won't be long before the chief comes up here to get Bella."

"Damn it," I cursed myself for falling asleep in her bed and quickly kissed Bella on her cheek before rushing out of the guestroom.

As soon as I closed the door to my bedroom, I heard footsteps and Chief Swan's voice greeting Alec. I assumed Alec stayed in front of Bella's bedroom to pretend like he was guarding it since he had no time to go back downstairs before Chief Swan came up.

I couldn't be more thankful to Alec and Felix's quick response to the situation. Chief Swan was accepting us seeing each other but I was damn sure if he saw us in bed together he most definitely would've changed his mind. .I kept my ears on the door to try to listen in on what was happening out there. Several minutes later I stopped hearing anything so I opened my door and popped my head out and looked towards Bella's door and found Chief Swan coming out of the guestroom looking defeated. He quickly sensed me and looked my way. Uh oh.

Chief Swan came walking towards my door. "Sorry, Edward. Didn't mean to wake you up. I just got off work and thought I'd ask Bella if she'd want to come home with me. Evidently she wasn't very happy to be disturbed from her sleep. I'm just gonna head on home. I'd appreciate it if you guys could bring her home later."

"Uh, Chief Swan. I was thinking of having breakfast and coffee. Would you like to join me?" I don't know why those words came out. Maybe I felt guilty for sneaking out of the Bella's bed or from seeing Chief Swan looking sad from upsetting Bella.

"Oh. I'd like that. Thank you, son." Chief Swan said giving me a shy smile. It was the kind of smile Bella sometimes had on her face when I did something simple for her like fluff her pillows, make her bed while she showered, or even for just pouring her a glass of milk.

"Make yourself comfortable in the living room. I'll let you know when coffee is done," I said to him while we descended down the stairs.

Felix and Alec kept the chief company while I quickly scrambled some eggs and fried some sausages and bacon. This was like the extent of my cooking but at least I knew how to make breakfast. I threw some bread into the toaster and poured coffee into the cups. Felix and Alec came to the kitchen and suggested they stay in the kitchen and I take the coffee and food to the living room and join the chief there. I took the tray with our food and coffee to the living room and sat beside him placing the tray on the coffee table.

"Thanks Edward. I really appreciate it. I was just going to go to the diner."

"It's just breakfast. No big deal, Chief."

"You're a good guy, Edward. As much as I hate to admit, I'm glad Bella's dating you. Do me a favor and watch out for her. She's not as tough as she makes people think she is and she's too selfless to ask for help. I'm glad that she's finally expressing her feelings like just now. The Bella I first encountered when she came to live with me would've probably gone home with me right now but now she's letting me know what she wants instead of what she thinks I would want. I think you, your siblings, and Jasper are good influences on her. Thank you," Chief Swan said before squeezing my shoulder.

"Thank you, but I don't think we deserve any credit. It was all you and her. You're the one who kept showing her how much you loved her and that Forks was her home. I think she finally realized that and opened up to you."

"Thanks, Edward and thanks for breakfast too. I'm going to home and crash for a few hours so I'd appreciate it if you would give me a ring so that I'll be up when Bella wants to come home. I don't want her alone in the house while I'm still asleep."

"Will do, Chief. Drive safe!" I said as I walked him to the door.

I was kind of glad I had this time alone with Chief Swan. It felt like I bonded with him in a way. It felt like he finally treated me as an adult and no longer just as the son of Carlisle and Esme.

**A/N **

I'm trying to write whenever I have the time to, but life still isn't back to normal yet here in Tokyo, and people including myself are feeling nauseous from all the aftershocks we're having. Things were finally starting to calm down but on the 1 month anniversary since the quake and tsunami hit us on March 11th, we were again struck with a big aftershock and the aftershocks has become frequent and quite strong again. I'll keep writing but please forgive me if I sometimes take a bit longer.

Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on the chapter. Now that things are open between Bella and Edward I can finally heat things up between them!


	23. Chapter 22 The innocent girl act

Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

I only own the plot of this story.

Thank you for waiting for this new chapter. The chapter got lost in cyberspace and thankfully my wonderful beta, JCook169 had it on her PC still so she saved the day! Thank you JCook169 for your wonderful editing skills and for all the support you're giving me..

**Chapter 22 The Innocent girl act**

**BPOV**

"Bells, how do you feel about me asking some guys from the station, Billy, Jake, his friends, Felix, Alec, and Edward to come over to our place tomorrow for a backyard BBQ."

"Really? Do we even have a grill?"

"Of course we do. Billy and I grill fish in our backyard after we go fishing."

"Oh. I didn't know that. I'm sure everyone would be happy to come over since Esme isn't back yet to cook for them."

"All right, well you call Edward and tell him of our plans. We should probably go grocery shopping after we eat."

"Sure thing, Dad."

Grocery shopping with dad was interesting. It was funny dad didn't know where things were. He admitted that he rarely shopped for groceries as the wives of the guys who worked for him often did the shopping for him.

After we returned from the supermarket, my dad and I went to the kitchen to attempt to make some desserts for tomorrow. I told him we should just buy some pies from the diner but he insisted we do it ourselves and that it was going to be a father – daughter project. Dad even picked up a cookbook from where he chose banana cream pie as our project.

"Do we even have a mixer?"

"Errr. I think it should be in the top shelf over there," he said pointing to the cupboard.

I found an antique looking mixer. I was really surprised that we even had one. "When did you buy this? It looks new but the model is so old."

"Yeah. It belonged to your mom. We bought it after we got married," he answered. Well that explained why it looked so new but the style was old. Mom wasn't very good at baking so I assumed she rarely used it.

"So, what do we do first?"

The process of making the filling was close to disastrous but after several attempts and being covered with goo that splattered all over us while we used the mixer, we somehow managed to make enough filling for two pies. I was glad we purchased the pie shell as there was no way we could've managed to make that also. Dad seemed to be pleased with the end result and we headed to bed after we placed the pies in the fridge.

**EPOV**

"Hey, are you guys free tomorrow? Dad wants to throw a backyard BBQ at our place and was wondering if you guys wanna come over? He's inviting people from the station and from the res as well."

"I'd be happy to join you guys. Give me a sec, I'll ask Felix and Alec," I said before yelling over the phone if they wanted to come with me to the Swan's tomorrow for the BBQ. They both gave me a thumbs up. "Count all of us in. Hey, if you want to you guys are welcome to use our yard."

"Thanks for the offer but I think us Swans need to do this on our own. I don't know, but I get this feeling that my dad feels like he's not doing enough or something. I could be wrong but when we were at the res he was telling people about my place in Seattle and the look on his face sort of gave me that impression."

"What do you mean he doesn't feel like he's doing enough?"

"My tuition, living expenses, salary, the condo… all of them are provided by Volutri Games and your family has done so much for us. Your family even took me in when I had my casts on because I wouldn't be able to get around in my house. Dad is a proud man and I think it's hurting his pride that he isn't the one providing for me."

"But Bella, all those things provided for you in Seattle is the result of the deal your father made with Aro because of your game engine. It's not like you're free loading."

"I know and I'm sure he does too but it's not easy to be so rational. I just think doing this at our place gives him the opportunity to feel better."

"I hear ya. Is there anything you want us to bring?"

"I think in this case it would better if you guys didn't bring anything. But if you guys don't want to come empty handed some ice cream or whatever you guys make on your own would be nice."

"Errr. I can't cook but I'll ask if Alec or Felix knows how to make something. If not we'll bring ice cream," I said to Bella and ended the call after telling her that I missed her and that I loved her.

I went to the living room where Alec and Felix were watching T.V. "Hey guys, do either of you know how to cook? Bella suggested we bring something homemade or ice cream to their place tomorrow."

"You want to impress your girlfriend's father, eh?" Alex commented chuckling.

"I'm not trying to impress him. It's actually the opposite. I just want to take something casual. I think it's rude if we show up empty handed."

"Felix makes a mean chili. Chief Swan looks like the type who likes the basics. You don't want to show up with some pansy food like cheese and fruit and what not. I think chili would be ideal. I'd normally suggest we take some beer but you probably don't want to show up at your girlfriend's father's place with booze," Alec said laughing.

"I do make a mean chili but we don't have time so I'd have to use the canned kidney beans though. If that's good enough then I'd be more than happy to contribute."

"Really? Thanks. I owe you one," I said thanking Felix for the offer.

"No problem. I'll just go and get some stuff from the store then. It's better that I make it tonight so that it can sit overnight," Felix explained grabbing his car keys as he headed out.

After Felix returned both Alec and I offered to help but Felix insisted that our offering to help him would cause more harm than good and that mom's kitchen had plenty of appliances that would speed things up for him. Since there was nothing for Alec and me to do, we called it a night and I headed back to my room.

As I was preparing to hit the sack, Bella sent a text to me that she missed me and couldn't wait to go back to Seattle. I offered to come and sneak into her bedroom again but she flat out refused explaining that she didn't want any reason to end up being on the bad side of her father. I wanted to do something to put a smile on her face so even though I was embarrassed I grabbed a sharpie and wrote "_My heart belongs to Bella_" on my chest with a small heart underneath it, and took a picture and sent it to her.

When I received a response from Bella, there was a picture attached as well and when I opened the picture all the blood in my body rushed southward and I ended up with a raging hard on. The picture Bella sent me was of a little heart drawn on her inner thigh really close to her crotch as I could see a teeny bit of her panty showing. "_Property of EC"_ was what was written on her skin.

"_You're evil! What am I supposed to do with this big problem I have in my pants?" _I texted Bella.

"_Sorry :p Take a cold shower!" _was the reply I received from Bella.

"_Well I guess I'm going to have to go take care of this problem. Go to bed, baby. I'll see you tomorrow!"_ I texted Bella and headed to the bathroom to take care of my problem.

I was getting tired of being friendly with my hand. It's been too long since I had sex. I had no regret for needing to wait until Bella was ready but now that Chief Swan was aware that we were together it was going to get harder for me to keep my hands off her. I really hoped that Bella would want to sleep with me soon. I purposely had no plans of doing something elaborate for the first time we make love as I didn't want Bella to be more nervous than she would probably be.

I hit the sack early as there wasn't anything interesting on T.V. To my surprise I woke up bright and early and decided to go for a run. I hadn't had this kind of luxury since we went back to Seattle. The most I had was a quick stop at the gym after work as I avoided going for a run in Seattle so that Bella wouldn't get tempted to join me. I didn't think it would be safe for Bella to join me on the run and the fact that Alec or Felix would also have to join us just didn't seem appealing at all. I'm sure they were more fit than I was and wouldn't mind joining us for a run but I also didn't want to look so out of shape in front of Bella while Felix and Alec looked like they only went for a stroll.

The sun was out and it was an unusually clear day for Forks. The air was clean and the smell of the leaves and grass was refreshing. It was a welcome change from what I was now used to back in Seattle. There weren't so many cars or people around. Thinking back to days before Bella entered into my life, I don't think I really appreciated nature so much. I usually had a hangover and slept in on weekend mornings. My life had definitely changed and to be honest I do miss hanging out in bars with my friends. Now that Bella has somewhat adjusted to her new life in Seattle, I do plan to start socializing with my friends again. I'll need to introduce her to my friends and I could only hope they won't tease us too much. The last thing I want is for Bella to feel insecure about herself and my friends teasing her about her age was definitely not going to help even if they meant it as a joke.

After returning from my run I showered before finding Felix in the kitchen stirring the chili he made and Alec grilling steak and eggs in the pan. "Great, you're back just in time. Steak and eggs suck when they are cold."

"You know, I just went for a run. You expect me to eat all that fat? It defeats the purpose of exercising don't you think?"

"You went for a run. More reason to replenish that lost energy. Just shut up and eat like a man!" Alec said barking out a laugh.

If I kept eating as much as they did, I would end up having a gut like the one Val Kilmer was sporting these days. Can't believe that dude was once Batman from how he looks now. After finishing the huge breakfast there was nothing I wanted to do more than take a nap. I'd be lucky if I looked like Val Kilmer at the rate I was eating. I was more likely going to end up looking all white, fat, and creepy like Marlon Brando in the Island of Dr. Moreau.

I ended up taking a nap anyway and was shaken awake by Alec telling me to get up as it was time to start loading the stuff out to the car to head to the Swans'. Once we turned onto the road the Swans' residence was on, we noticed several cars parked along the street already. When I knocked on the door, a Native American woman answered.

"Hi. I'm Edward. Errr the Swans invited us for the BBQ."

"Hi. I'm Sue Clearwater. Oh! You must be the 'Edward' Charlie's says took his precious little girl away from him. I heard you came clean to Charlie about the two of you," she said laughing. "Did he give you a hard time? You definitely have to give me the details on how it went down," she laughed while handing us all a can of beer while she led us to the back yard.

You've grown so much I almost didn't recognize you. Bella and Charlie's out back."

We followed Sue out to the backyard and Bella quickly spotted me and came running towards us. "Hey, I'm glad you made it," she said taking my hand as she laced her fingers through mine.

"Thanks for inviting us. Looks like you guys have quite a turn out."

"Yeah. I'm surprised so many people came. Let's get you a plate made before all the food is gone. Jake and their friends eat A LOT," Bella said laughing.

"She's not joking. I'd listen to her if I were you," Sue chimed in and pointed towards the table where the plates were.

After Felix, Alec, and I filled our plates, Bella took us to the table where she was sitting. There were two Native American guys sitting there and they narrowed their eyes at us as we took our seats. Bella introduced them to me and told me that they were Embry and Paul and that they were also students at U-Dub. I wasn't too keen on the way they were eyeing Bella and they sure didn't look happy seeing Bella holding my hand.

"Looks like you have competition," Alec whispered into my ears chuckling. I snorted and shook my head at him. I knew this day would come sooner than later. Bella is a beautiful girl and she was bound to have admirers now that she was out socializing with others apart from my family. I couldn't go all caveman every time someone approached her. She needed friends and she needed people that weren't all associated with me. This was new to me but it was something I needed to get used to quickly. So I did what I was good at. I put on my business mask, smiled, and made some small talk with them.

Paul and Embry weren't actually bad at all. They were friendly and seemed to genuinely care about Bella like she was a friend of the family. They seemed to catch on that Bella and I were together without actually stating that fact in so many words. After they had their fill of the food they said their goodbyes as they were heading back to Seattle.

I was having such a great time listening to Sue dish on what the Charlie had been up to lately since Bella left for Seattle that I failed to notice that everyone had left except for the Blacks and Sue now which left me wondering whether Sue was the lady friend of the chief or Billy's.

It started to get a little too cold to stay outside so when Sue suggested we all go inside, we took that as a cue that it was time for Felix, Alec, and I to leave. This was the last day for the chief to spend with Bella in Forks since we were leaving tomorrow morning, so we said our goodbyes.

**BPOV**

The Thanksgiving weekend back in Forks turned out to be much more than I expected. Dad approved of Edward and I seeing each other and the day I was leaving to go back to Seattle, he even joked around with Edward while I was trying to finish packing.

There also seemed to be a friendship building between Alec, Felix and Edward. More so between Alec and Edward. They seemed to have bonded while Felix and Alec didn't have to protect me while I was with my dad.

I was finally getting into the groove so to speak at Shangri-la. The team Aro hired was highly skilled and very professional and development for the Duckling engine was progressing smoothly.

Things between Edward and I were great. Now that we had the green light I expected Edward to kick things up a notch but it seemed like he was even taking things more slowly. We were still kissing and touching each other but he hasn't even touched my private parts yet. He only kissed and touched my breasts but not much more than that. He was also really busy during the week but he always returned to me no matter how late he was.

There were only 12 more days until Christmas. We all decided to leave at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning to drive to Forks. I was surprised that my dad didn't complain that I wasn't going to be home before that. He probably expected that I would want to spend Christmas Eve with Edward.

Last weekend Lone and Edward went and got us a beautiful Christmas tree. Edward and I also went out and selected one ornament we liked and promised to buy one ornament each year together. This year we purchased a ceramic ornament shaped like one of the famous buildings in the French Quarter to commemorate our first date in New Orleans.

We thought Alice and Lone would pick something out together but she said that she and Lone weren't really quite there yet in their relationship. Alice always gave me too much information. She said that sex with Jasper was awesome but he just wasn't satisfying her enough in the other departments. Alice loved going out and a lot of times she didn't buy anything but she just enjoyed looking at things. Jasper on the other hand wanted to avoid crowds as much as possible. She wished he was more like Emmett who was up to anything and never complained hanging out at the mall while Rose looked around. Emmett always found fun in anything. He would even tag along to the cosmetics counter and watch her get her face done while he cracked jokes of how stupid Rose looked with her mouth hanging open while the lady applied lipstick on her lips. She was sure Jasper was "it" for her and she was in love with him and was sure that Jasper did too but things just wasn't all turning out the way she imagined it to be.

I tried to tell her countless times to just be patient with Lone but when she stated how perfect things between Edward and I, and Emmett and Rose were I really couldn't say much more. Things really were great between Edward and I and I had nothing to complain about except that he was sometimes too busy but he still came home to me after work. The first day back to work after Thanksgiving, Aro called Edward into his office and asked him what was going on between Edward and me. It was obvious Aro knew so Edward came clean to Aro about us. According to Edward, Aro didn't look happy but just warned him that he'd better not do anything to jeopardize the arrangement between Volturi Games and me.

Edward was at the office and Alice was out with Jasper today and there was nothing in the fridge so I decided to go grocery shopping with Felix tagging along with me. Right as we got out of the car, I saw a familiar face approach us. I was surprised as I expected her to be busy as hell like Edward was.

"Hi, Bella," Jane said smiling at me. Hmmm can't be good if Jane is smiling at me. She never smiles unless Aro is around so I look around but feel confused when I don't see him around.

"Hi Jane. I'm surprised to see you here. Do you live in this neighborhood?"

"I'm just visiting a friend. She just had a baby so I'm here to run her errands," she replied still smiling at me causing me to be more cautious.

"Oh, so it's your day off then?"

"Something like that," she said chuckling. I wondered why she was chuckling as nothing seemed funny.

As much as I felt like just wishing her a good day and walk into the store without her, I thought I'd better act mature and shop along with her. Once we got the shopping carts, Felix stood right between Jane and me and winked at me. So I guess Felix could sense my dislike of Jane.

"So, Bella, how was Thanksgiving?"

"I had a great time. It was my first thanksgiving to spend with my father. Did you go home for Thanksgiving?" I asked trying to make some small talk.

"That's wonderful. I'm glad to hear you had a great time back home. I went to New York and spent Thanksgiving with the Denalis."

"Oh, that sounds much more interesting than Thanksgiving in Forks."

"I'm usually not in the country during Thanksgiving but plans fell through this year so Tanya invited me over so I didn't have to spend it alone," Jane said and I'm not sure what it was but it seemed like she sounded angry.

"Thanksgiving in New York must've been exciting. Did you start your Christmas shopping?"

"Not yet. I usually do my shopping while I shop for the gifts Aro needs me to get for others. I'm sure you'll be on Aro's list so if you want anything specific just let Edward or me know."

"Oh, he doesn't need to get me anything."

"You don't need to put an innocent girl act in front of me, Bella. Get what you can while you can."

"Excuse me?" I asked in shock. Felix must've sensed the tension in the air as he moved closer to me and faced her.

"Oh Bella, you have so much growing up to do. You are swimming in a pool full of sharks right now whether you realize it or not. Get what you can now and get out before you are devoured alive."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked Jane confused at all that she was saying to me.

"Seriously? Wasn't getting attacked and almost dying enough to make you question there are people out to get you? Isn't that the reason why you can't go anywhere without protection? Go back to where you came from. You won't survive here," Jane said shaking her head as she headed away from Felix and me.

"What the hell was that?" I said to Felix in confusion.

"I have no clue but I think it would be better if we leave now," Felix said and I nodded as we started to return the two items I had thrown in the cart earlier.

While we were walking to the car, Felix was on the phone with Alec telling him to meet him at the Volturi office. After the call to Alec, Felix was on the phone with Aro asking that he needed to see him immediately and explaining what happened at the super market. Felix looked tense and he was in his professional mode so I didn't bother to talk to him in the car. There was time for small talk and this definitely didn't seem like the time. This was all very confusing but it didn't seem like it was something that needed Aro's attention but Felix was great at his job so I knew better than to question his judgment.

Since Jane was away from the office today, there was another assistant of Aro's who escorted us to Aro's office. Felix handed Aro a digital voice recorder from his pocket. Before Aro played the recording, there was a knock on the door and Alec entered the room with Edward, Emmett, Caius, and Marcus trailing behind him.

"Does Bella have to be here?" Edward asked looking worried.

"She was there when it happened. She's not a child, Edward," Aro replied to Edward. Edward didn't look happy but just moved his chair closer to me and slipped his fingers through mine.

"As you all know, I have several private investigators looking into the situation in regards to James Bellinger. As we have no idea who is involved, I haven't ruled anyone as suspects aiding James Bellinger. I even had Jasper and Rose followed as well."

"What the fuck is wrong with you! My Rose? You had my Rose investigated?" Emmett roared in anger.

"Calm down, Emmett or I'll have you escorted out. I only did that so that they are ruled out immediately. I have nothing against them but this is how investigations are carried out," Aro explained in a matter of fact tone. "Due to the same reasons I had Jane followed as well and she had been cleared immediately so we have no one on her anymore but she has been taken off taking care of my personal business just for precaution. Even with what went down today I'm not decided whether she is any threat to us."

"What? What happened today?" Edward gasped.

"Nothing. It was nothing," I said and squeezed his hand to assure him but it didn't help as Aro starting playing the recording and I quickly realized it was a recording of the conversation between Jane and me at the super market when I heard Jane's voice saying, "So, Bella, how was Thanksgiving?"

The room went quiet and everyone was concentrating on the conversation between Jane and me. I was glancing at everyone searching for their reaction as they were tuning into the recording. Everyone seemed to tense more by the minute. I didn't question Felix's action of bringing this up to Aro but was this meeting really that necessary?

When the tape got to the part where Jane was telling me to drop the innocent girl act everyone's expression, especially Edward's hardened. Aro's eyes looked furious when Jane warned me to go back to where I came from.

"Quite frankly, I think this was just Jane acting jealous towards Isabella. I didn't hear anything we have to be worried about. Have you been neglecting her lately, brother?" Caius commented narrowing his eyes at Aro.

"She's probably angry you didn't take her away on vacation for Thanksgiving this year and joined Esme's family instead which I assume Isabella was there as well. Just so that we could sleep better let's just put someone on Jane again," Marcus suggested and Aro nodded.

Oooh, now I finally got it. So Jane felt threatened by me? Sheesh like I would be interested in Aro! I thought to myself.

"I'm very sorry, Isabella, for you having to experience this unnecessary situation involving Jane. If you would please forgive me, as I will be placing someone on her, I cannot bring this situation up to Jane so no action will be taken against her."

"It was nothing. I was just confused. Please don't worry."

"Thank you Isabella. Thank you all for coming. I will take care of this. Alec and Felix, please take Isabella home. Edward, you can go too. I'm sure Isabella would feel safer with you home with her," Aro said as he excused us all from his office.

As I stood up from the chair, Edward wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight. When we stepped out of Aro, office, Edward said, "I'm so sorry, Bella. I wish I was there so I could've kicked her ass."

"You and me both, bro," Emmett chimed in.

"Guys, I can take care of myself. I would've kicked her ass myself if I deemed it necessary."

"So, why didn't you?" Emmett asked.

"You know, I was too shocked and confused. I wasn't quite sure if it was a threat or if it was a warning out of consideration."

"Bells, Jane doesn't care for anyone but herself," Emmett explained.

"Okay, so now I know but a little thing like Jane isn't very threatening."

"Bella, don't underestimate Jane. Next time you run into her, call me, okay?" Edward said still looking worried.

"You worry way too much. Let's go home," I said kissing him on his cheek.

I got into Alec's car as it was now his shift to watch me. Edward drove behind us, and Emmett followed in his Jeep as he said he wasn't done discussing what happened today. Once we got into my apartment, Alice was there with Lone watching a movie on the couch.

"Wassup guys?" Lone waved to us and immediately stopped smiling when he sensed the tension surrounding Edward , Emmett, and Alec. "What's wrong?"

"Jane." Emmett replied.

"Jane? What did the bitch do now?" Alice asked looking interested like she was listening to some gossip not catching on that none of this was funny to Edward and Emmett. Edward and Emmett's brows furrowed and glared at Alice. "What? What did I say?" Alice said looking confused.

I quickly grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her to my room leaving the boys in the living room. I still say the men in my lives were overprotective unless maybe I was the clueless one?

"So, what happened?" Alice asked hesitantly as she now looked worried.

"It really was nothing. I was at the supermarket and Jane approached me. It was small talk at first and then it turned into her telling me to go home and that I wouldn't survive amongst the sharks."

"Huh? Sharks? What sharks?"

"Exactly. She wasn't making sense. All I could make sense out of this was that she was jealous that I was with Aro during Thanksgiving and she wasn't. I think she thinks I have feelings for Aro or something."

"Ewwwww."

"Exactly!"

"That girl's nuts. I mean she has to be since she's in love with Uncle Aro. He's a great uncle but ewwww," Alice said laughing. I felt so much better having someone like Alice who didn't take things too seriously as the men in my life did.

"I'm hungry, let's order takeout," I said jumping off the bed. The boys were still having a serious discussion over what happened today but Alice and I just ignored them and grabbed the takeout menu to decide on what to order.

**EPOV**

"You know, I never saw things from this angle, but Jane would be an ideal rat at Volturi games," Emmett commented looking serious. Rose had now joined us after Emmett called her to join us at Bella's.

"What's her motive though?" I asked.

"Aro," both Rose and Em said in unison.

"Seriously? You think Jane would be involved with James just to get rid of Bella for Aro?"

"Edward, you soooo don't understand woman," Rose said huffing.

"Man, we were so blindsided. If you think about it, Jane had the perfect opportunity. It didn't look odd at all that she was communicating with James in the tapes we saw as she was in charge of looking over projects for Aro. I'm so glad Aro had taken her off all his personal dealings otherwise she would know everything about Shangri-La."

"Well if Jane is James' accomplice we now know there are three of them. James, Jane, and someone else as Jane is definitely not the one who was in the getaway car since she was at the Volturi headquarters and left the office with Aro to go to Bella's hospital," I said trying to remember situations where Jane was present.

"I knew that bitch was crooked. She has to be. She's in love with Aro."

"Hey, he's our mom's brother ya know," I feigned a scowl.

"It still doesn't make him less creepy. It gives me the creeps imagining Jane in bed with Aro," Rose said causing Em, Jasper, and I to feel like gagging.

"That's just gross. Stop putting ugly pictures in our heads," Jasper said shivering.

"How could Aro still believe Jane is innocent in all this? He acted like he still wasn't convinced Jane was connected to James," I commented.

"Don't be fooled by his cool demeanor. I'm damn sure he has her on top of the list now. He probably purposely acted the way he did so that he could fool us to think Jane wasn't guilty so that we wouldn't act all weird in front of her or threaten her and get in the way of the investigation. But that's where he's wrong. We're not that stupid! He probably wants to take care of this on his own without embarrassing himself in front of everyone if she does turn out to be the rat. Man, she seriously screwed up if she really is the rat. I won't be surprised if she turns up dead one day," Em said looking a little too serious for me. I really didn't want to think that my uncle was capable of putting a hit on anyone.

"I wouldn't be surprised either. No one gets away with embarrassing Aro or gets in the way of him achieving whatever he wants," Rose chimed in.

"I smell pizza. This meeting is officially adjourned," Emmett declared getting up from the couch heading towards the dining room. It was so Emmett, right in the middle of a very serious conversation he'd all of a sudden flip the switch and go back to being the usual Emmett we're used to. Everything had to go on hold once he smelled food no matter how serious the conversation was. His usual explanation was that he couldn't think clearly when he was hungry and neither does everyone else so it was a waste of everyone's time and energy to discuss anything important on an empty stomach. Well, if something like this came from Confucius it would seem convincing, but when it comes out of Emmett's mouth, it only sounded like excuses of a glutton.

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. I'm going to try and put a little sexy something between Edward and Bella in the next chapter.

On things happening around me, the quakes are less frequent and not as strong now thankfully. My Chihuahua, Barry, still freaks out and runs back and forth on the couch every time the house shakes but he's calming down quicker as he must be getting used to it now.

Rainy Season is around the corner for us so I'm a little worried about what kind of problem we will face near the failed nuclear power plant. With limited power I'm a little worried for the blackouts and people getting sick from heat strokes from not having enough power to turn the AC on. I'm praying that this summer would be a cool summer as last year was a dreadfully hot summer.


	24. Chapter 23 Your body is a wonderland

Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to JCook169 for her wonderful editing on this chapter. She did her magic adding details which I'm sure you will all appreciate because this chapter includes lemons! Enjoy!

**Chapter 23 Your body is a wonderland**

**Jane's POV**

"Jane? This is Alyssa. Ummm you told me to call you and let you know if something out of the ordinary happened, like an unscheduled meeting today?" Alyssa one of the junior assistants called.

"I'm busy, Alyssa. I don't have all day. What are you trying to get at?"

"Oh. Ummm…" The girl was seriously getting on my nerves. "Ummm Felix called asking for Aro and now they're all in a meeting together."

"Who are you referring to as 'they'?" I asked the idiot.

"Oh. Ummm… Aro, Caius, Marcus, Edward, Emmett, Alec, Felix, oh and Bella Swan."

Fuck! I was screwed. I was damn sure they were meeting to discuss the encounter I had with Bella.

"Do you have any idea what was discussed?"

"I have no idea. Aro gave me an errand to run so I stepped out of the office as soon as they all marched into Aro's office," Alyssa replied. She was such a loser. All she could tell me was that they held a meeting. Big help she was!

"Thanks for calling. I'm sure if it's something Aro needs a follow up he'll ask you or he'll talk to me tomorrow. See you tomorrow, Alyssa," I said and hung up the phone.

I'm so stupid stupid stupid… I repeated as I hit the steering wheel with my fists continuously. I was an idiot. I made the worst mistake possible. Jealousy got the better of me and I lost control and said too much to Bella. I had to try and recall what I said to her exactly. That idiot Felix, with his stupid digital voice recorder must have the whole conversation on recording. That's what Aro required from all his personal security details. Anytime something was going down, he requested that they all push the recording button to get audio proof as they wouldn't be able to provide any photographs.

All I could really remember was that I told her to try and get all that she could and to go back to where she came from. I don't remember calling her names or bitching about Aro or calling him names. She was a nuisance and I needed to get rid of her. If she left and cut all ties from Aro, everything would be perfect for me so she could remain alive for all I cared but I was pretty sure that wasn't Irina's ultimate goal.

Now I was royally screwed as everyone might think I'm some kind of psycho and frankly I had no idea as to what extreme Aro would go to rectify the situation. I threatened his new shiny toy and he might even put someone on me to follow me around. That was definitely a possibility. Every time someone screwed with Aro, he told me to call his PIs and put someone on their detail to get dirt on them.

I was now in shit load of trouble from Aro and Irina. I wasn't scared of Aro, but if Irina found out how badly I screwed up, she could get rid of me easily. Her boyfriend, Laurent, had relatives tied to a crime family in New Jersey. It would be easy for him to get someone to do the dirty work for Irina.

Right now I needed to rectify the problem. If Aro decides to put someone on me, I wouldn't be able to do what Irina asks me freely, in fact I probably wouldn't be able to do anything in regards to Bella until things cooled down. I couldn't let Irina know that though, I'd no longer be any use to her.

I hated using my own money, but this was no time to be frugal. I picked up my phone and called my cousin, who was a PI I used from time to time when I had the ladies Aro was dating followed to get dirt on them so that Aro would leave them. I didn't trust any other PI as Aro had money and he could easily increase the amount I was paying and the PI could turn against me. My cousin and I are really close and I trusted him he wouldn't turn on me.

I only needed him until the end of the year as Bella and the Cullens were going to be in New York and I was sure Irina had something up her sleeve. She wouldn't miss the greatest opportunity in her lifetime. Bella swan was going to be on her turf and I was sure she wouldn't escape alive.

**EPOV**

"Hello. Alice?"

"Tell me you love me and that I'm the best sister ever! "

"Alice, what the hell do you want so early in the morning? And what have you done to my sister? She's not a morning person."

"Mom called and said they're leaving for Seattle and won't be returning to Forks until tomorrow afternoon. She wanted me or you to be home to sign for some food delivery to the house from the caterer since she can't cook for Christmas dinner. Since I'm such a great sister, instead of Jasper and I going home early, I thought, it would be the perfect opportunity for you to spend some private time together with Bella. The house is huge, even if Alec and Felix were there, you'd have plenty of privacy if you get my drift."

"Errr… Thanks?" It was early and I was only half awake so I wasn't really grasping what Alice was trying to get at.

"God, you can be so stupid sometimes. That was my way of telling you that you can be alone with Bella back in Forks tonight. You can have a nice romantic Christmas Eve with her and maybe you might get lucky and Alec and Felix won't hear the two of you!" Alice said huffing.

"Oh. Oooooh. Gotcha!" Damn, this was embarrassing. My little sister was paving the way for me so I can get laid? "God, I feel like such a loser," I mumbled.

"Oh shut up. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get your act together. I'll just tell mom one of us will make sure to be home to sign for the food. Just promise me that you'll be sure to make Bella feel like the most beautiful and cherished woman in the world. I rock right? Have a great Christmas Eve, Edward!"

It wigged me out that my baby sister was clearing the path for me to have sex with Bella. I needed a minute to really think things through. If I were to leave with Bella for Forks, I'd need to ask Alec and Felix to come along with us and make sure Chief Swan didn't find out that we were back in Forks tonight instead of tomorrow morning. I ran some scenarios though my head as to what I needed to do if we were to leave for Forks today and if it really was worth the hassle but the more I thought of things the pros outweighed the cons. This opportunity was too good to be missed. Bella was still asleep so I snuck out of bed and went to the living room. Alec's shift had started and he was currently reading the paper over a cup of coffee.

"G'mornin' Alec."

"Good morning, Edward. You're up early."

"Alice called. Actually I came out to talk to you about it."

"Is something wrong?" Alec asked looking worried for a second but cocked his brow as soon as he noticed that I had a silly grin on my face. "I take it that you are going to ask me a favor?"

"Alice called to let me know that our parents are spending the night in Seattle tonight so the house was going to be free…" before I could finish the sentence Alec raised his hand to stop me.

"No need to say more. You want to drive down to Forks today instead so that you can have some alone time with Bella. I get it. I'll call Felix to let him know that I'll take two shifts today and accompany you two to Forks."

"You'd do that?"

"It doesn't make much difference to me whether I'm here or in Forks. Felix will probably say he'll come too though since he's more protective of Bella and wouldn't want me as the only one protecting her since your parents' home has no security other than an alarm system."

"Thanks. I owe you guys big time. I'm just gonna step in the shower and go out for a bit to pick some things up for tonight," I said and headed back to Bella's bedroom to take a shower. After I stepped out of the shower, Bella was awake sitting up on the bed.

"I woke up and you weren't here," Bella said frowning and pouted.

"Sorry babe. I have some good news though. Alice called to tell me that mom and dad were coming to Seattle today so the house is available tonight. I was thinking we could head out to Forks today and spend the night there. What do you think? We can have more privacy there than here," I said winking.

"Ohhhh," Bella said blushing as soon as she understood what I was trying to hint at.

"Sound good?" I asked and Bella nodded with a shy smile.

"I'm gonna head back to my place to pick up my bag for the trip. Do you have anything you want me to get for you? Anything you forgot to buy you wanted to take home?"

"I'm good. I guess I'll start packing then," Bella said while I hugged and kissed her before I headed out.

I wanted to do something romantic for Bella tonight, but it's not like I can cook and I didn't want to do something too extravagant. I wanted to do something sweet but without overdoing it. I decided to have a little picnic lunch in my bedroom for Bella and I. Similar to what I did for her birthday but I planned on getting something nicer this time instead of fast food that Bella loved so much. I headed down to Pike Place market and got some baguette sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and desserts. I made sure to get food that didn't need heating as I wanted to head straight to my bedroom as soon as we got to my parents' but I also picked up some pizzas and other food for Alec and Felix. Alice had a picnic basket in her closet so I was going to borrow it so that I wouldn't have to dig through the pile of crap mom stored in the basement back home.

I stopped at Nordstrom's and picked up some cushions and throw blankets. I felt like I was emasculating myself doing this but I didn't have any of those nice things girls seemed to love in my bedroom back at my parents'. Why do women have so many cushions and fluffy shit on their bed anyway? All they seem to do was get in the way when I'm getting lucky. It just seemed like whenever I went to girls' apartments the first thing I needed to do was push the cushions off their bed.

I really wished I could have taken Bella on a romantic getaway then I wouldn't even be bothering with these cushions and shit but that just wasn't an option since we needed to always have Alec or Felix around and James was still at large. This was the best I could pull off. I made a quick stop at my place and packed some clothes to take to Forks. A lot of my things are all at Bella's so I still needed to finish packing at her place.

I secretly bought a gift for Bella that I wanted to give to her tonight. Bella suggested we buy nothing for each other except for a card and spend the money on each other in New York where we planned to be from December 30th through the 3rd. My parents planned to take us all to our home in the Hamptons from New Year's morning and return to Manhattan in the afternoon on the 2nd so that we wouldn't have to spend New Year's day in a hotel room. Aro wasn't thrilled that we were attending Denali Interactive's New Year's Eve party, but Mom convinced Aro that it would benefit Volturi Games that we were attending the party since there will be a lot of press coverage as well as many others from the game software companies and it would seem like we smoothed things over between Volturi Games and Denali Interactive since the fiasco in LA during E3.

When I got back to Bella's, Felix was already there. When I was about to go to Felix and thank him, he stopped me raising his hand and shaking his head saying "no big deal. I didn't have any plans anyway."

I found Bella sitting on her bed when I entered her room, packing something burgundy and silky into the bag. When she noticed me she blushed and quickly zipped up her bag. "What did you just pack in there?" I asked cocking my brow at her.

"Nothing," Bella quickly answered blushing and chewing on her lips. From the bit I saw, I was pretty sure it looked like lingerie. Hmmm so she has something naughty planned for me and my mind began running different images of what the lingerie looked like and how hot Bella would look in them. My imagination went rampant and I needed to head to the bathroom before Bella saw the growing problem in my pants.

I quickly gathered my toiletries I needed for the trip and the picnic basket before we headed out to the car. We had to compromise and ride with Felix and Alec. It was either I follow them in my car without Bella or ride along with them. I didn't want to be apart from her so I sucked it up and got into their car. I didn't like it that I had to sit up front with Alec, while Bella sat in the backseat with Felix, but it was for her safety so I obliged. Felix seemed to be on pins and needles after the incident involving Jane and wouldn't leave Bella's side.

Bella fell asleep as soon as we took off but woke up when we turned onto 101 West. She was telling Felix how much she was going to miss Felix and Alec when we go to New York. We tried on our own to secure rooms in Manhattan for New Years Eve but we had no success so we ended up taking Denali Interactive's invitation to stay in the hotel they booked. Mom was able to convince Aro to let us attend the party but he wasn't thrilled about it and banned Felix and Alec from accompanying us to New York so Charlie called some of his acquaintances on the police force in New York and arranged security to guard Bella while we were there. We were going back to Seattle on the 26th from Forks and leaving for New York on the 30th. Aro made sure we were working until our departure date and wasn't going to let Rose, Em, Jasper or I to take any days off before that.

Once we arrived at my parents' place I told Bella to just hang out in the living room while I carried our stuff upstairs. While Felix escorted Bella into the house Alec stayed to help me carry the food into the house. I headed straight to the bedroom to set up the food and the blankets on the floor in my bedroom. I envied Jasper. All he had to do was take Alice to a nice restaurant and return to his place after dinner. He didn't have two bodyguards getting in the way of romancing his girl.

Once I had the blanket spread out and the food arranged I went to get Bella from the living room. She was sitting on the couch watching cartoons with Felix and Alec. I leaned into her from behind the couch and whispered, "let's go upstairs," in to her ear before taking her hand and leading her upstairs. I glanced over to Felix and Alec while I was walking up the stairs and got a thumbs up from Alec and a smirk from Felix. I was glad Emmett wasn't here or he'd be having a field day over this.

I heard Bella gasp when she entered my room while I held the door for her. "Edward! You did all this for me?" Bella wrapped her arms around my waist and squealed excitedly.

"Well I sure didn't do this for Felix and Alec. That would be creepy don't you think seeing that it's set up in my bedroom," I said chuckling.

"You should have told me something about this, I don't have anything special planned for you," Bella said pouting.

"Really? It sure didn't look like you don't have anything planned for me. I swear I saw you slip something sexy into your bag," I said waggling my brows.

"It's not a surprise if you know about it," Bella said sighing.

"That's not true. I don't even know what it looks like, all I know is that I can't wait to see you in it," I said picking up her chin with my fingers and planted a soft tender kiss on her lips. "Now shall we sit and enjoy our picnic?"

**BPOV**

Edward constantly surprised me. Every day it felt like I fell in love with him more. He was so sweet and caring. This was going to be the best Christmas Eve since I can remember. The holiday season without my mom was harder than I expected but having my dad, the Cullens, Lone, and Rosalie had made it bearable for me. Without them I don't know if I would've survived. I may have ended up taking my life if I was still stuck with Phil. I purposely tried to stay away from that thought while I was locked in my room by Phil because taking my life would only make my mom sad and even if she wasn't around anymore I couldn't do that to her. I wished but I never acted on it. I tried to blink away my tears but failed miserably.

"Baby, you're supposed to be smiling not crying today. Come here," Edward said as pulled me into his lap while he sat on the carpet. "What's making you cry?"

"These are happy tears. I don't know what would've happened to me if I didn't meet you."

"And I don't even want to think of a life without you in it," Edward said and held me tighter in his arms. "Why don't you change into something more comfortable while I plate some food for you," Edward suggested. It wasn't like I was dressed in something uncomfortable but since we were sitting on the blanket on the carpet my yoga pants were definitely going to be more comfortable than the jeans I was wearing.

I sat on Edward's bed and slipped into my yoga pants. While I was changing, my eyes scanned all the things in his room. He had a huge collection of CDs and movies just like at his place in Seattle. I went to the shelf with the CDs and started to look at what kind of music he had. I started cracking up when I found a huge section of burned CDs labeled MO music. I didn't know what MO stood for until I picked one of them up. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw the cover of the CD labeled Makeout Music 2000, Christmas. I popped the 2000 Christmas CD into the player and toppled over laughing when Moby's Porcelain blasted from his speakers.

"Seriously? You seduced girls playing _Porcelain_?" Edward turned beet red and covered his face with his hands groaning. "Errr. Weren't you like in junior high when this song came out?"

"Bella, these CDs belong to Em. He used to kick me out of my room when he brought girls over and made me stay in his room until he came to get me," Edward explained.

"Yeah, right…" I said shaking my head at his lame excuse.

"I'm serious. Emmett wasn't allowed to keep the doors closed to his room when he had a girl over, so he used to kick me out of my room and used my room to make out with them. Since the door to his room was open, our parents never bothered to check," Edward explained and he seemed to be telling the truth.

"Wow, I'm at loss for words. I don't know if I should be praising him for his genius idea or mad at him since he used you to score. I'm glad I was an only child," I said chuckling. Emmett was an enigma. He could be utterly ingenious but also incredibly childish at the same time.

Edward waved me over before proceeding to grab me and place me back on his lap. He gave me a very sweet kiss on my lips and handed me a champagne flute. "It's only Martinelli's sparkling cider but it looks like champagne doesn't it?" Edward said as he poured the bubbly liquid into the flute. We toasted to our first Christmas together and downed the cider.

I slid off his lap so that I could enjoy all the great food that was in the picnic basket. "You've outdone yourself again. How did I get so lucky?" I asked and Edward shook his head and rested his chin on my head.

"I'm the lucky one. Have I told you how much I loved you?"

"Hmmm, not since we left Seattle."

"Well I'm gonna have to fix that right this minute. I love you, baby," Edward whispered into my ear and nibbled on it while breathing a hot breath into my ear.

"It tickles." I said squirming in his hold while blocking my ear from him.

"Are you sure it tickles? Are you sure you aren't just turned on by me?" Edward asked teasingly. I chewed on my lips and looked into his eyes shyly. What I felt whenever Edward kissed or touched me was something I really couldn't describe in words. My heart beat went racing and I felt hot inside. I think it meant that I was turned on by him but I really had nothing to compare to. He was the first man I felt this attracted to. "I love you, Bella. My heart aches when I think about you. You drive me crazy… I love everything about you and I want more. I want to make love to you, baby."

I saw desire in Edward's eyes and felt his hardness against my thighs. I know I wanted him too but I felt really nervous. Ever since the possibility of me sleeping with Edward came up I started to watch some porn. I wasn't sure if I could be so open and expressive like the actresses in them nor do the things they did in them.

I mustered my courage and nodded. "I want you to make love to me, Edward, but I don't know what I'm doing. Ummm… I've never done it before and I'm afraid that once you know how much I suck at it, you might leave me," I said nervously.

"Bella, how could you think I'd ever leave you? I love everything about you. I would be lying if I said that I didn't care about sex because I do but I do know that making love to you is going to be the best experience I've ever had because I love and care about you. I've never had this kind of feeling for anyone else. Let me love you Bella. All of you," Edward said getting up from the carpet with me in his arms as he walked towards his bed. He gently lay me on his bed and slid on the bed beside me.

"Ummm… Edward, it's too light outside," I said shyly.

"I want to see your body, Bella. Don't be embarrassed," Edward begged but I hugged myself and shook my head. Edward sighed but nodded and got off the bed to close the curtains. It was suddenly all dark inside but Edward turned on one of the lights in the far corner of the room before he got back on the bed. I was thankful he didn't turn the lights closest to the bed.

Edward hovered over me and gently kissed me on the lips as he slid his hand up inside my shirt. His hands were cold and I froze for a second. "Relax, Bella. Breathe," Edward whispered into my ear. Edward kissed my neck and down my cleavage. He slid his arm behind my back and raised my back up as he took my shirt off and unclasped my bra with his fingers. My heart was racing and I was lost at what I should be doing. Was I supposed to be taking his shirt off or unbuttoning his pants? Damn I should've read some romance novels or something instead of relying on porn. The actors and actresses in the porn I saw were all usually naked and ready to go and never showed the part of how they shed their clothes off.

After I was naked on the top, Edward smiled and gently removed my yoga pants. I was now only wearing my panties. Edward removed his shirt and jeans himself and was now clad only in his gray boxer briefs which were sporting a sizable bulge. I was getting more nervous by the minute and kept chewing on my lips avoiding gazing at his defined torso. I could faintly taste blood so I must've chewed them raw. He gently touched my lips to stop me from chewing on them and told me to relax. Like I really could! Here was this sexy god-like man wanting to make love to me. I cursed myself for being an inexperienced geek. If I had more female friends, someone like Samantha from Sex in the City, I wouldn't be at loss at what to do right now. Should I stick my hand down Edward's boxer briefs and touch his junk?

"Bella baby, I need you to relax. You're making me feel like I'm invading you or something," Edward sighed.

"I'm really nervous. I don't know what to do. I might do something stupid." I confessed honestly, close to tears.

"Baby, you're not the only one unsure of what to do," Edward said sighing.

"What? But you're not a virgin. You're an expert at this," I said not understanding what Edward was saying.

"I've had sex and lots of it," he grimaced, "but the last time I had sex with a virgin was when I was still in high school. I didn't care if I hurt them or if they didn't enjoy it. All I cared was to get off. You know I was an ass. My raging teenage hormones took over and I fucked them and once it was over I was back in my clothes and out the door. That's not what I want with you. I want to make love to you and I want you to want me."

"I do want you," I said wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Listen to your desires and just do what feels right. Nothing you do is going to be wrong or stupid. I want to touch you and I want you to touch me. I want to drive you crazy with my touches and want you to crave more," Edward explained and sat up on the bed as he pulled me on to his lap.

He kissed me deeply as he wrapped his left arm around my waist and his right hand was gently caressing my left thigh up and down. His hand reached between my thighs and I gasped when his fingers slipped through the crotch of my panties.

"Are you sure you want this baby? You need to tell me now or I won't be able to stop," Edward said softly.

"I want you Edward. Please don't stop," I said embarrassed at the wantonly words that flew out of my mouth. I felt myself blushing red from my face down to my chest and I was glad the room was quite dark so he couldn't see how much I was blushing. I kept telling myself there was nothing to be embarrassed about and that Edward loved me but none of that was helping calm my nerves.

"I want you to enjoy this as much as I am, Love. Free your mind and just keep thinking about me and how much I love you. Feel what I'm doing to you. There is nothing embarrassing about what we are doing, we are in love and this is a natural part of loving each other," Edward said as his fingers started to delve deeper into my panties and start moving up and down along my folds. I gasped again when his fingers gently rubbed circles around my clit. I whimpered at his touch. His fingers continued circling and I felt myself getting wet and feeling warmer inside and out of control when his fingers started moving faster and making sloshy sounds as his fingers caressed me down there.

I whimpered, embarrassed over getting so wet and I could feel my wetness dripping down my thighs. "Baby, you're so wet and so sexy," he growled and then I felt one of his finger tips slip inside of me while he rubbed my clit with his thumb.

I never felt something like this before as I felt this ache deep inside me. I wanted more and I felt myself press against his fingers. "That's it baby, enjoy what I'm doing to you," he moaned as he started to lavish kisses on my breasts. His tongue slipped out of his mouth and started to circle around my nipple.

"Mmmm," I heard myself react to him fondling my breasts and teasing my nipples.

"Let me hear you, baby. Don't be shy. Let me know if you're enjoying this as much as I am," Edward whispered into my ear as he slipped another finger inside me and started thrusting it slowly in and out as he played with one of my nipples. "You're so wet. I can't hold myself off much longer, Bella," Edward groaned and kissed me, sliding his tongue inside my mouth.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked and I could see lust mixed with tenderness in his eyes. I nodded and told him that I loved him. He reached out to his nightstand and grabbed a condom. I heard the crinkling sound and I looked away. I was still too embarrassed to watch him put the condom on himself.

Edward hitched one of my legs behind him and I felt his hardness near my entrance. He looked into my eyes and I nodded again. "Bella, it's going to hurt, okay? I'm going to thrust into you fast. Just hold on to me really tight and don't move until the initial pain subsides. Okay?" Edward looked nervous and I nodded and reached out and wrapped my arms around him to assure him that I was going to be okay.

"I love you baby," he said and before I could say it back to him I felt him thrust into me and the pain I felt was nothing I'd imagined. It fuckin hurt like hell.

"Oh my god," I started to scream but his mouth was on me and my scream was muffled.

"Baby, it's going to be okay," Edward showered me with kisses as he stilled himself inside me.

"I think you broke me," I said sniffling. "You're too big. It hurts."

"I'm so sorry, baby. I tried to be as gentle as I could but there really was no other way around it. I promise you'll start to enjoy it more every time we do it and by then you'll know that size does matter," Edward winked and kissed me on my forehead.

I felt myself relax when the pain subsided slightly. Edward started teasing my clit and my nipples flicking it and nibbling on it. I started to feel hot and when I moaned Edward started to thrust again. I held on to him and the noises coming from me down there was so erotic and embarrassing at the same time. I'm not sure when I hitched my other leg around him but I was gripping on to him so tightly that I feared that my heels were digging into his back. When I looked at myself I looked like a koala bear hanging on to him. I tried to hold myself back from giggling. Now was not the time to be saying something stupid although he said nothing I do would be considered "stupid" but I was pretty sure telling him I looked like a koala was definitely not what he wanted to hear.

Edward was moaning and it was getting noisy. I thought he was the loud one until I noticed that the louder moans were actually coming from me and not him. "Babe, I'm gonna come. I'm sorry," Edward cried as he started to thrust faster and harder. The sounds we were making were driving me crazy and I felt Edward hold me tighter and felt him climax. Edward stilled for a moment before dropping on his back beside me and turning towards me. "Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry I couldn't get you to climax," he said looking frustrated.

"Edward, please don't apologize. It felt amazing and I highly doubt I would've experienced the big "O" this time no matter how hard you tried."

"But I wanted you to…" Edward said looking defeated.

"You were amazing. I'm glad you were the one I gave myself to for the first time."

"And I hope I am the only person who you give yourself to," Edward said as he wrapped his arms around me lovingly.

I felt safe and protected and happy as I snuggled with him. "You're so beautiful. I love all of you. Your body is…"

"A wonderland?" I finished his sentence giggling.

"Oh baby, way to ruin the moment!" Edward said chuckling. "I really don't want John Mayer's face in my head," Edward said and kissed me as he let go of me. I tried to grab his arm so he wouldn't slip away. "I'll be right back. I need to go dispose of this and I'm gonna run you a bath," he said holding his condom wrapped junk as he headed to the bathroom.

As if Alice was a psychic, she texted me asking how we were and if I lost my V card or not. _**"Why do you care?" **_ I texted back to her.

My phone chirped back immediately._** "OH MY GOD, you guys did it! My brother is a stud!" **_Alice texted back. I ignored her message as Edward came back into the bedroom and crawled under the covers.

"Thank you for giving yourself to me. I love you, Bella," he said and planted a soft delicate kiss on my lips.

After a moment, he carried me to the tub and gently put me down and slid in behind me. I leaned back on him and he wrapped his arms around me. He rested his chin on my head and we just relaxed in the tub until my hands were all wrinkly. My stomach growled loudly and Edward chuckled.

"Time to feed my baby," Edward said and we got out of the tub. He let me borrow his bathrobe while he wrapped a towel around his hips and we went back to our little carpet picnic. Edward chuckled as he watched me wolf down the sandwiches and appetizers. I was hungry and exhausted. I never imagined sex was so draining. My eyelids were heavy and I could barely stay awake.

Edward carried me to the bed and tucked me under the covers. "You should take a nap. I'm gonna get dressed and check on Felix and Alec to make sure they're okay." I didn't want him to go but I was too tired to object. He sat on the bed and rubbed soothing circles in my hand until I drifted off to sleep.

**EPOV**

I hung out with Alec and Felix while Bella took a nap. Alec's stomach growled and we realized it was already past 11 p.m. We threw the pizzas I bought at Pike Place Market in the oven and I decided to go and wake Bella up. I didn't want her waking up in the middle of the night hungry and Dad would kill me if he found out I didn't feed her dinner. Bella looked fine but my dad had explained that being near starved for a month doesn't get cured that easily. So while she looked fine, she wasn't 100% back to health yet.

Once the pizza was almost ready, I headed up to my bedroom. I crawled under the covers and pulled her towards me. Bella groaned and tried to push away from me. I peppered her with kisses all over her face and she giggled and slapped me playfully. "I'm trying to sleep. Stop bothering me."

"I guess you don't want to eat the pizza that's baking in the oven. It's okay, Felix, Alec and I can finish it without you."

"Did you say pizza?"

"I even got your favorite. Sausage patty with pepperoni."

"Mmmm. You're the best." Bella sat up and smiled and rubbed her eyes.

"Go wash up. I'll bring the pizzas," I said and hurried back to the kitchen.

I really hoped that Bella would love my gift to her. I was getting a little nervous as I went overboard this time. I just hoped she wouldn't get upset that I paid a ridiculous amount for it. When I saw it, I knew I had to get it for her. It was a beautiful ring and really unique. It was called the Between-the-finger ring from Van Cleef and Arpels. I saw it in one of the magazines Rosalie was looking at and asked for her help in getting it for me.

I was a little hesitant as it was quite expensive as it was made of white gold and diamonds but Rose sat me down and explained to me that it would be a great gift for Bella. She told me that if anything happened between Bella and I and we broke up, Bella would be able to sell the ring and have some cash to fall back on since this wasn't an engagement ring so she wouldn't have to return it to me. I hated the thought that she would even raise the thought of us breaking up but we were still young and it was a possibility and the fact that the cash from selling the ring helping Bella out sounded good to me.

There were several different kinds but I chose the one shaped like a Lotus flower. She would wear it on the middle finger on her left hand but because it was a between-the finger-ring, it would make it seem like she was wearing an engagement ring. I was a sneaky bastard; I wanted to claim her as mine and make sure to tell the world she was taken without being actually engaged. It was too soon for us as a couple and Bella was too young. I wasn't ready for marriage either and it would definitely freak the hell out of Charlie. I was sure he would see me as the enemy taking his little girl away.

After I brought the pizzas to my bedroom, I snuck the ring in my pocket. After we finished eating, Bella lay on the carpet rubbing her stomach claiming she was full and happy. I lay beside her and took her left hand in mine and slipped the ring on her middle finger. I kissed her hand and wished her Merry Christmas as it was past midnight.

Bella brought her left hand to her face and gasped in shock. "Oh my gosh, it's so beautiful!" It thrilled me to hear those words from her as I was expecting her to get mad at me instead. "I know I'm supposed to be mad at you because we made a deal to not exchange gifts for Christmas but this ring is too pretty to be mad over and I love it. Thank you Edward," she said and rolled on top of me and kissed me.

"I love you Bella. The ring looks beautiful only because you're wearing it. Thank you for accepting it without giving me a hard time," I said and kissed her back.

"Why a lotus?"

"I picked this ring because of the symbolic meaning behind the lotus flower. The Lotus flowers in deep mud away from the sun but then it reaches the light and blooms into the most beautiful flower. It's just like you. You worked so hard to get to where you are now even with all the crap around you and have bloomed into a breathtaking flower."

"You're so sweet to me. I love you Edward. I'm so lucky to have you. Wait till my dad sees this. He's going to have a heart attack. This ring kinda looks like an engagement ring," Bella giggled.

"I hope Charlie doesn't come to dinner tomorrow armed," I said and hoped to God he wouldn't shoot me or punch me in the face.

A/N

So they finally did it! Did you enjoy it? I hope you did. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter!


	25. Chapter 24 The Big Apple

**Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

**I only own the plot of this story.**

Happy Belated Birthday and special thanks to my super awesome beta, JCook169, for turning this chapter around in a day so that I could get it out asap! You rock!

Previously:

Bella and Edward are back in Forks to spend Christmas back home. This chapter starts from the morning after Bella and Edward made love to each other for the first time.

Chapter 24 : Big Apple!

**EPOV **

"I'm gonna head on home, okay," Bella whispered softly after I peeled open my eyes.

"What time is it?" I asked my voice cracking as I sat up.

"It's a little after 7 a.m. My father is dropping by the station for a few hours to do some paperwork so I want to catch him before he leaves home. Just go back to sleep. Felix and Alec will drive me home and as agreed with my dad, they're staying at our house. Ummm. last night was amazing. Thank you." Bella said wrapping her arms around me.

"The pleasure was all mine, baby. Thank you for letting me be your first but do you really have to go now? I don't want you to leave," I begged giving her my best puppy eyes, the kind that Alice always pulled in hopes Bella would fall for it.

"Not gonna work, Edward. My father is already understanding enough by letting me go to New York instead of staying with him in Forks. The least I can do is spend time with him. Love ya. I'll see you at dinner," Bella said and gave me a kiss as she hopped off the bed.

I grabbed a T shirt and walked down the stairs carrying her things. Alec and Felix were already at the door. "Don't get into any trouble, while we are gone." Alec said and chuckled.

I flipped him the bird and kissed Bella goodbye. I stood by the door and watched them leave the driveway. I sounded like a pussy but I suddenly felt lonely in this large house alone.

**BPOV**

We caught my father in the driveway as he was about to get into his cruiser to head to the station. So instead of going in, we all piled into the car with him and headed to the station so that we could wish Merry Christmas to the people who worked with him.

"Bells, what's that on your finger?" My father asked gasping.

"Oh, it's my Christmas present from Edward."

"Did he propose to you?" He asked with panic in his voice.

"It's just a Christmas present. Don't get your panties in a bunch and please don't make a big deal out of it. I know it's probably very expensive, but I really love it and I don't want you to give Edward a hard time."

"All right, kiddo. Just promise me that if things really get serious between you and Edward, that you'll tell me," he replied shaking his head sighing.

"I will. I'm not ready to get married yet and neither is Edward. School and work is more than enough for me to handle right now," I explained to him. I really meant it. Mom had drilled into me enough the hardship of getting married early especially with a child. I'm sure with the support system Edward and I have, things won't be as disastrous as it had been between my parents, but still I just wasn't ready to settle down yet Besides, Edward and I needed time to get to know each other better. So many things happened to me in the last few months and I was finally getting a grip on the situation. I couldn't handle becoming a wife on top of all that was happening. I was starting school soon, and I didn't want to bite off more than I can chew.

"I just want you to be happy, Bells. I know Edward makes you happy, but marriage can come later. There's no need to rush unless you're pregnant. Wait a second! Are you pregnant Bells?" Dad asked with fear in his eyes.

"Dad! What the hell kind of question is that?" He took me by surprise and I swear I heard chuckling from either Alec or Felix from the back seat. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not pregnant!"

"Are you being safe with Edward?" My father asked looking uncomfortable.

"OH MY GOD! Dad! I don't want to be having this conversation with you. I'm sure you don't either. I'm eighteen. Mom beat you to the punch eons ago. You're embarrassing me in front of Alec and Felix." I wanted to bury myself in a hole.

"Don't mind us, we're quite enjoying it," Alec commented chuckling earning an elbow into his side from Felix and a death glare from me.

"Just promise me not to rush into anything. You're only eighteen. You have all the possibilities in the world at your feet. I'm not saying you can't do that being married, but it's not the same, Bells."

"I get it, Dad. Speak no more. I told you I'm not ready to settle down yet. Sheesh!"

"I just got you back. I'm not ready to give you away to someone." My father said softly as if it wasn't meant for me to hear.

When we got to the station, few people were already there and wished us Merry Christmas. Dad's assistant escorted us into the lounge where they had a Christmas tree and lots of baskets full of baked goods on the table.

After taking care of some paper work, we left to join the Cullens' Christmas party. Esme had apologized that the food was catered this year but I had no problem with it as it was all delicious. We had a wonderful time eating and opening presents, and ended up staying at the Cullens' house overnight as my father ended up having a little too much wine and champagne. Alice sneaked some Mimosas and we thoroughly enjoyed it; maybe a little too much.

In the morning, my father wished me a good time in New York and to call him when the ball drops at Times Square as he left to head to the station leaving me at the Cullens' to head back to Seattle.

**EPOV**

The last few days after Christmas were a nightmare trying to tie up any loose ends as we were leaving today for New York on the 9:55 p.m. flight from Seattle, which arrived at 6 a.m. on the 30th.

We were meeting Alice, Bella, and my parents at the airport and she was bringing my luggage for the trip. Alice and Bella had been so excited about the trip, during every extra minute they had it seemed like they spent it looking up information on places to go, eat, and shop in New York.

My parents had plans on the 30th and so did Rosalie and Emmett which left Bella, Alice, Jasper and I our own for the 30th. Bella and Alice decided that they didn't want to waste a minute of their time so they asked my parents to take care of the luggage so that we could go somewhere directly for breakfast from the hotel instead of checking in to our rooms.

Denali Interactive had booked our rooms at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square as the New Year's Eve party was being held at the Broadway lounge there. It wasn't the kind of hotel my parents would've chosen since it was right by Times Square and full of tourists, but we couldn't book anything else so we had to take their offer of the hotel rooms.

"Hey, ready to go?" Emmett and Rose popped their heads into the meeting room where Jasper and I were busy boxing freebies to send to the magazines for promotion of our upcoming titles.

"Damn, is it time to leave for the airport already? I can't believe we've been in here for three hours!"

"Well, get your ass off the floor and get movin' !" Emmett said looking like he was going to burst from excitement.

Rose and Em helped us finish up and I got into Jasper's truck instead of taking my car so that we had fewer cars to park at the airport.

The flight was long but we all basically slept through it. It took us a while to claim our baggage and arrive at the hotel. We met with two of Charlie's friends from the New York Police department who were retired and volunteered to be Bella's bodyguards while she was here in New York.

We wished we didn't have to have protection, but Charlie wouldn't let Bella come to New York without them protecting her so it was the lesser evil. It was past 8 a.m, when we arrived at the hotel which was fine with us as the breakfast place Alice had chose opened at 8 a.m. We took the subway down to 30th Street and walked to Lexington Avenue to a little place called Penelope named after the owner's pet Turtle, according to the info Alice gave Jasper and I. We left it up to the ladies to go wherever they wanted since Jasper and I didn't care. We just wanted them to be happy but I made sure Bella got to have her say instead of getting pushed around by Alice in the decision making.

By the time we finished our meal, it was 10 a.m. which was the perfect time to start our sightseeing. Charlie's friends, Doug and Keith, were easy to get along with and we quite enjoyed having them tagging along with us.

The first place Bella and Alice wanted to go was the Empire State building as they had seen the building in many movies. Since we were already at 33rd and Lexington, it was a quick walk to the Empire State building. Doug and Keith had already gotten us the Express Tickets for the 86th and 102nd floor observatories so we were set and since we had the Express Tickets we got to skip the long line.

"The first time I saw Empire State Building was in one of my mom's favorite movies, An Affair to Remember," Bella mentioned with nostalgia in her eyes. "I wish my mom was here with us. She would've loved New York," she said sniffling.

I held her in my arms to comfort her. "I love you, babe. Your mom is watching you every minute and you know she wouldn't want you to be sad. I'm sure she's experiencing every bit of New York with you and having a blast right now. Let's enjoy our trip in honor of her."

"Yeah let's do that in honor of your mom. To Bella's mom! Alice said and wrapped her arms around us. "Group hug!" she then shouted and Jasper, Doug, and Keith joined us laughing.

"I'm glad I volunteered to help Charlie out. I'm having a great time. My children all live out of state and too busy with their families, I haven't had this much fun in a while," Doug said happily.

"Thank you so much for doing this. I'm enjoying have you around," Bella said and hugged Doug.

"Charlie is a lucky man. I'm thrilled to see that you are back with him. Damn shame he couldn't be here. I miss the old guy. Is he still stuck to the TV watching sports and fishing with Billy Black?"

"Yup, he sure is." Bella answered smiling.

After we were done with the observatories we headed off to the gift shop and I was surprised that it was actually Jasper and not my sister who had gone crazy buying a lot of the souvenir from the gift shop.

"Shop much?" Bella asked Jasper laughing.

"Hey, who knows when I'll ever come back to New York. It's the Empire State Building. King Kong was here!" Jasper smiled excitedly. I swear I thought he had turned into Emmett for a minute there.

"You're such a geek."

"And damn proud of it." Jasper smiled like a little kid at a candy store.

Next stop was the Statue of Liberty. Denali Interactive made several reservations months in advance for the access to the Crown so we got to be the 5 of the 240 people who got to access the Crown part of the statue allowed for the day. Doug had been kind enough to explain the history behind the Statue of Liberty to us while we were on the ferry, as he was born and raised in New York.

"What? 354 stairs? Are you frickin' kidding me? You expect me to climb all those stairs?" Alice yelled freaking out.

"You'll be fine, Babe. We can climb the stairs slowly," Jasper said trying to calm her fears.

"Are you sure you want to climb it? We don't have to go up." I asked Bella as it hadn't been that long since she got out of her casts.

"I think I can manage it."

It turned out that Alice didn't have a problem at all, but Bella's knees started aching towards the end but she managed on her own as well.

Once we were in the Crown, Bella and Alice started to sing and dancing to the song, Higher and Higher. At first I didn't have a clue what the hell the girls were doing until Jasper had explained to me that it was the song played in the background in the movie, Ghostbusters, when the actors were in the Lady Liberty's Crown.

Once we returned to Battery Park, we grabbed a late lunch at a Tex Mex place called SouthWestNY. The place was a bit fancier than places Bella typically preferred but the view from the restaurant was great and the colors used in the restaurant was vibrant and just seemed like a cool place to eat.

"What a waste. This restaurant has such great view but it's too cold to sit outside," Bella commented frowning.

"We can come back here in the summer," I said kissing her cheek.

"Really?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Oh, we definitely should. We have a place in the Hamptons. Mom's planning to take us there on New Year's day so you can see if you like the Hamptons and if you do, we can visit the Hamptons this summer." Alice joined in on our conversation.

"Oooh, really? That's so Gossip Girl," Bella joked and we all laughed except Doug who commented shaking his head over how Gossip Girl had turned New York into a nightmare for the New York police department.

"Old man, you're just too old to appreciate Gossip Girl," Keith commented laughing.

After finishing our lunch, we headed off to Chinatown and Canal Street so that the girls could see the street vendors. They were dying to try their haggling skills and see the designer knock-offs.

We spent hours walking around and even shared a slice of pizza in Little Italy from a place Doug recommended claiming it was the best pizza in town.

For dinner, Alice and Jasper went off on their own and Bella and I along with Doug and Keith went our separate ways.

Bella wanted me to surprise her for dinner so I chose a restaurant Rose recommended in Nolita called Nolita House that she was sure Bella would love to go. The place was known for its American comfort food and Blue Grass band. It was getting cold so we took a cab out to Nolita House. Doug and Keith sat several tables away as a courtesy to us so that we could have some alone time.

Once we were seated, Bella was thrilled at the menu and couldn't decide what to choose. She loved the homey and down to earth vibe about the place. We were bound to eat at fancy places once we joined our parents so I thought it would be a nice place to visit while we were on our own.

"What should I get? Everything looks so good!"

"Rose recommends the deep fried mac 'n cheese rolls, spinach and artichoke dip, lobster mac 'n cheese, and the caramelized pear gorgonzola pizza."

"Let's go with that then!" "Oh, I'm so excited. The table is a bit wobbly but it's charming that way. Thanks for bringing me here. I love it here. This place is exactly the kind of the image I had of places to eat in New York," Bella said kissing me.

We held hands as we waited for our food and kissed every time our eyes met while her eyes wandered around checking out all the decorations and people in the restaurant. I was really enjoying this time we've been so busy since she moved to Seattle and never really had time to relax and have a nice dinner date.

The food and the ambiance were great although the place got a bit loud later in the evening. We were stuffed so we decided to get dessert from room service and headed back to the hotel in a cab.

We picked up our room keys at the front desk and learned that Bella and Alice's room was connected between Doug and Keith and Jasper and mine. Doug mentioned to Bella to keep her door unlocked that was connected to Doug and Keith's room. He told her that Doug and Keith were taking shifts standing outside her door.

"Be good, kids. Good night," Doug said as Keith came out after a quick sweep of their room, Bella's and mine. Doug stayed outside the door and Keith retreated to his room as Bella and I walked into hers.

Bella got a text from Alice that they just got seated at their table at Gramercy Tavern for dinner and wouldn't be back until really late so that their room was all hers until then with a wink following the text. Alice and Jasper had taken up on the offer of dinner reservations made by Denali Interactive for guests attending their New Year's Eve party. Gramercy Tavern was selected as the most popular restaurant in 2011 which was their 6th time rated most popular in 10 years and Alice was so thrilled that they got to eat there even though the reservation was at 9 p.m.

Bella tossed her shoes off and plopped on the bed dragging me along with her. She was acting like a frisky kitten and I jumped on the opportunity. I saw lust in her eyes and she didn't look nervous like she did the first time we made love.

She straddled me and kissed my neck as she unbuttoned my shirt, sliding her hands under the T shirt I wore under my shirt. She showered me with kissed on my chest down to the waist of my jeans. She looked into my eyes as she undid my belt buckle, unbuttoned my jeans and slowly lowered the zipper. She giggled as she struggled a bit with my jeans. I helped her by sitting up a bit and lifted my hips for easier access to take my jeans off.

I took my shirt and T shirt off and was now just in my boxer briefs. I felt a little too naked as Bella was fully dressed still so I reached out and pulled off the sweater she was wearing and the shirt underneath it. She quickly undid her pants giggling and threw it onto the couch by the bed.

I grabbed her and flipped her onto her back so that I was now the one straddling her instead. I liked this playful Bella. It seemed like all her inhibitions were gone once we arrived in New York. She was in a great mood and looked incredibly happy and excited all day long.

I slid my hand underneath her neck and started kissing and whispering "I love you," to her while I unclasped her bra and slid my hand underneath it to play with her nipples. I pushed her bra up so that I could suck on her nipples and the moan Bella gave encouraged me more.

She tossed her bra away and she was now just only in her pretty blue panties. I grabbed the waistband of her panties and slid it down her legs and she kicked it off her legs giggling.

"You're so beautiful and you're all mine," I said and sucked on her nipple harder.

"Yours," Bella said and slid her hand down my back to my boxer briefs and tugged on the waistband. I yanked it off while I sucked on her nipple and we were finally lying naked on the bed together.

I showered her with kisses as I backed up a little and bent her knees so that I had perfect access to her gorgeous pussy. I slid my fingers down her bikini line and then aimed for her clit. She was already really wet for me and I teased her clit and her folds as she moaned and moved her hips with the stroke of my fingers.

I buried my head between her knees and licked her pussy and sucked on her clit gently. "Oh God, Edward!" Bella moaned and pushed her pussy against my lips.

I shoved my tongue inside her and teased her clit. Bella was getting worked up and moving her hips rhythmically with the movement of my tongue. I slipped my fingers inside her and used my thumb on her clit making her moan harder and louder.

The sound of her juices flowing out of her was making me hard as a rock. "It's my turn now. I want to suck you," Bella said tugging my hair motioning me to get off her pussy and get on my back.

Bella sat between my legs and wrapped her hands around my dick stroking and teasing it. She lowered herself and took my dick into her mouth. The circling motion of her tongue was driving me insane. I grabbed her by her hair and worked her head to the speed I wanted her sucking on my dick. "Harder Bella, suck harder," I said encouraging her.

Just watching her fellate me was so sexy. "Eyes up, Bella. Look at me while you suck my dick."

She was a natural for someone without much experience. I held onto her head as I got up on my knees. Bella sucked harder and circled her tongue around the tip of my dick.

I fucked her mouth harder and started moaning ready to come. "Bella, I'm gonna come, you need to stop sucking if you don't want to swallow," I warned her as I didn't think I could hold on any longer.

"I want you to come in my mouth," Bella said lustfully.

"All right, babe. Here I come," I said and exploded into her mouth. "That's it baby, take it all. God, you're so beautiful."

Bella cleaned me off and I got her on her back again. I needed a few minutes so I sucked on her pussy and fingered her while I waited till my dick was ready to enjoy all of Bella.

Bella bucked her hips and shouted that she was going to come. Words couldn't describe the amazing feeling of how her walls clenched around my fingers as she came. I massaged her breasts and teased her nipples. I knew Bella was on birth control but slipped a condom on me just to be safe. Both Bella and I had talked about this and we both had no intention of becoming parents yet.

She was dripping from her pussy and I hitched her leg on my hips and pushed the tip of my dick into her. I was ready again and so was she. I pushed myself into her in one stroke sliding into her easily making a gushy sound from all the juices flowing from her. God, she was so wet and hot it was heaven inside her pussy.

She was incredibly tight but being so wet it felt damn good. Her walls clung onto my dick as I fucked her harder and harder. "That's it baby girl, work those hips," I encouraged her to move with me. She now had both her legs around me but I unwrapped them and raised them onto my shoulders for more depth.

"Edward, you need to slow down, I'm gonna come."

"Baby, I want you to come. Let it go," I said and pumped into her faster as I played with her clit.

"Oh God, Oh God, I'm gonna come. Edward! Edward!" Bella shouted and came. The beautiful flushed face and expression of hers was my undoing and I came immediately after her.

I lay back down on the bed beside her and pulled her closer to me. Bella was trying to catch her breath, and she looked incredibly sexy sweating and panting slightly.

Once we both caught our breath I wrapped my arms around her and showered her with kisses.

We cuddled a while longer and went to take a shower together. I wanted to praise her with a little after play for the wonderful time we just had.

"My knees are too weak to stand," Bella pouted.

"You have me to hold you," I said as I stood under the shower with her. I washed her gently and kissed her. I helped dry her off and let her sit on the stood in the bathroom so that she could dry her hair. "I'll get you some water," I said and headed out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my hips.

I didn't expect Alice and Jasper back yet but when I looked at the clock radio, it said 1 a.m. I hadn't realized Bella and I had made love for so many hours.

"You look freshly fucked," Jasper said chuckling earning a slap on his arm from Alice.

"That's so crass. It's my brother and my best friend you're talking about."

"Errr, can you two get out of here so that Bella doesn't freak out when she comes out of the bathroom?" I asked.

"All right bro. I'll do you better. I'll stay in you guys' room tonight and come back here early in the morning. I'm sure with Doug and Keith out there, Mom and Dad wouldn't check up on us, seeing that it's already past 1 a.m.," Alice said waving as she lead them out the connecting door.

I pulled two bottles of water out from the fridge and went back into the bathroom to hand one to Bella.

"What took you so long?" Bella asked looking worried.

"Don't worry. I was just talking to Alice and Jasper. She's staying in my room so that we can be together tonight."

"Awesome. I was hoping I could snuggle with you some more."

"I'm all for snuggling. Let's get to bed. We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long long day since it's New Years Eve. Who knows until what time we're gonna be out till."

We cut off the lights and got under the covers. Bella was out like a light as soon as she was comfortable. I drifted off to sleep holding her in my arms.

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.

I'm very sorry for taking so long to update this time. I've been really busy and too exhausted as we just relocated the office where I work. Packing and unpacking really drained me out on top of the heat wave. Not having enough power ever since the Tsunami took out the Fukushima power plants are really wearing us down and we are all required to conserve energy by 15%.

Sounds simple but it really isn't as Japan gets very hot and humid. Average temperature since end of June has been in the 90s. Large companies are being fined over 8 thousand dollars per hour if they go over the 15% cut. So department stores, markets, stations, restaurants – you name it are all weakly air conditioned in fear of having to pay the penalty charge. There's just no escape from the heat! So I really couldn't sit and concentrate and write in the middle of this heat and ended up taking a really long time. I'm sorry.


	26. Chapter 25 Ugly Duckling Hits Manhattan

**Disclaimer:**

**Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to my beta, JCook169. As always she has done a wonderful job editing the chapter.

**Chapter 25 Ugly Duckling Hits Manhattan**

**BPOV**

"Hello?" I heard Edward on the phone talking to someone.

"Do we have to? I was hoping to have breakfast alone with Bella... All right, all right, I'm leaving. Keep Dad and Mom occupied," Edward said and groaned after he hung up.

"Was that Emmett?"

"Yeah. Emmett and Rose are with Mom, Dad and the Denali's down at the lounge. We need to get up and join them for breakfast." Edward said sighing.

"Bummer. It would've been nice if we could have had breakfast in bed together, but oh well at least we didn't get caught in bed together by your parents."

"Well I'm gonna go and wake Jasper and Alice. See you later, babe," Edward said kissing me on my cheek.

"See ya. I'd better hit the shower before Alice. She'll be in there forever and I wouldn't get a chance to shower if I'm after her," I said dragging myself out of bed.

A few minutes after I got in the bathroom Alice started pounding on the door threatening me to get out or she wouldn't be ready in time. I was glad I beat her to it. I showered as quickly as I could and Alice flew into the bathroom before I even got out the door.

Edward, Lone and I went down to breakfast leaving Alice as we weren't sure when she'd be ready. I got seated between Edward and Lone and left a seat beside Lone for Alice. I wasn't really thrilled being seated across from Tanya but she was too busy trying to catch Edward's attention that didn't even seem to notice that I was there. Well maybe it was for the best. It was too early for me to deal with the wicked bitches of the east.

"Good morning, Bella. How are you enjoying your time here?" Eleazar Denali asked me smiling.

"I'm having a wonderful time. Thank you so much for letting me join you all."

"You're very welcome. You're family to the Cullens which means you're family to us as well," Eleazar said and I smiled back at him.

Alice made it to breakfast almost an hour after we arrived and after breakfast the Cullens stayed behind to socialize with the Denalis so Rose, Lone and I headed back to our rooms.

I flopped back on the bed and while I was surfing the channels my phone rang and noticed it was from an unknown caller.

"Hello?"

"Well well well. The Ugly Duckling hits Manhattan. You looked like you really enjoyed your time yesterday. I got tempted to push you overboard on the ferry," The man said.

"Who are you?" I asked. My voice trembled scared that he knew who I was and what I did yesterday.

"You don't recognize me? Oh, I'm hurt." The man said and chuckled. "It's James, your number one fan!" he said mockingly. "Well I don't have all day so I'm gonna get to the point. I've got Alice. She ruined my plan back in Forks. You should've died. Now it's her turn to suffer unless you want to take her place and return your BFF in one piece to her family. Meet me in Central Park at Strawberry Fields. Do exactly as I instruct you. Don't tell anyone or lovely Alice will face a painful death. Go on foot to Central Park. I'll be watching." James said and hung up.

My whole body shook as I picked up the phone and called Alice but her phone went quickly to her voicemail which confirmed that James had her.

It was my responsibility to get Alice back safely. I had involved too many people in my mess and I needed to right the wrong. I wrote a quick note to Edward

_Dear Edward _

_You are the best thing that ever happened to me. _

_I love you. I'm sorry I got your family involved in my business. _

_I cannot let James harm anyone of you. He had been watching me since I came to NY._

_If I don't go to him alone, he will harm Alice. I promise to save Alice from James._

_Please forgive me. You will always be in my heart._

_Bella _

I needed an excuse to get Keith away from guarding the door. I shoved a lot of toilet paper down and flushed and got it clogged. I stuck my head out and told Keith that the toilet was plugged and needed his help. While he was in the bathroom I grabbed my coat and flew out the door.

**Rosalie's POV **

I got bored and decided to go bug Bella in her room, but before that I stepped out to grab two Lattes for us and while I was in the lobby I saw Bella fly past me looking like a ghost and alone without Keith or Doug. I literally threw the lattes in a nearby trashcan and missed it by miles and ran after her. Thankfully with her weak knee, Bella couldn't run as fast as I could so I was able to keep her in my view. I grabbed my phone and called Emmett.

"Get Carlisle and Bella's security. Something's wrong!" I shouted into my phone out of breath.

"What the fuck Rosie? What's wrong?"

"I don't have time to explain. I'm running after Bella. She went flying out of the hotel looking all white as a ghost and she looked so damn scared. Something's up."

"Where are you now? Stay on the phone. Where is she heading?"

"Damn it. I don't know! Just get here. I'm running east on Broadway. She's not from here so I can imagine she knows only touristy places. Maybe she's heading towards Central Park?"

"Stay on the phone Rosie." "Dad, something's wrong with Bella. Neither Keith nor Doug is with her and she went running out the hotel…" I heard Emmett explain to Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper. "Babe, Edward and Jasper left to catch up with you. Keep me on the line."

I was running full speed but I still couldn't catch up with Bella but she was still in my sight. I noticed a woman running behind Bella as well, carrying a water bottle wearing running gear but she really stuck out in the crowd. Fiery red hair was peeping out of her cap and it hit me that I knew the woman. It was Victoria who used to work with us at Volturi Games in the legal department. Why the hell was she running after Bella? God! Bella was too concentrated on going towards wherever she was that she didn't even notice someone was trailing her.

"Emmett! It's Victoria. She's running after Bella!" I shouted into the phone.

"What? Victoria who?"

"Victoria. The skank who used to work in our legal department!"

"Hold on babe, Dad wants to talk to you."

"Rosalie. We think James contacted Bella. Keith found a note from Bella addressed to Edward. She thinks James has Alice but he doesn't. Alice is at the spa with the Denali girls. Please stop Bella before she gets hurt."

OMG! OMG! I started to panic after hearing that Bella was falling into James' trap. Then suddenly I felt my arm jerked and noticed that Edward and Jasper caught up with me.

"Grab Bella! NOW!" I shouted to Edward and Jasper as I pointed towards Bella.

Edward and Jasper ran like a madman and right as Bella approached Columbus Circle, Edward caught up and tackled her to the ground wrapping his arms around her protecting her from the fall.

Bella screeched like a banshee and struggled to get away from Edward. Jasper and I helped him hold her down and I shouted to her that Alice was safe repeatedly and that James didn't have her.

"Alice! Alice! I have to go. Let me go. He's gonna kill her!" Bella shouted struggling under Edward and Jasper. It must've been adrenaline as she was really strong and it didn't help that strangers around us were starting to grab Edward and Jasper away from her.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I said and punched her in the face and she hit the ground.

From the corner of my eye I saw Victoria looking pissed and saw her flee the scene. My priority was Bella's well being so I couldn't be bothered to go after Victoria and didn't bother to have Jasper or Edward go after her either. Bella needed all of us as she was about to lose her mind.

More and more people surrounded us but thankfully Bella was out cold so Jasper got up and tried to explain to the people that Bella was our friend and was all right and to go about their ways but people weren't listening and more and more people started to surround us and overheard a lot of people calling 911 reporting 3 people attacking a girl.

"Are you Ms. Rosalie Hale?" an officer ran through the crowd and approached me.

"Yes. I'm Rosalie Hale."

"I've been instructed to escort you all to the precinct. Please follow me," he said and Edward lifted Bella into his arms and we followed the officer. Several other policemen arrived for crowd control and were asking the people to go back to whatever they were doing.

When we got to the cruiser there was a detective waiting and he escorted me to his car so that he could ask me what happened. I wasn't guilty of anything but I told him that I needed to speak to Doug and Keith before I spoke to him and he said he understood and just drove me to the precinct.

When I got to the station, I noticed that Bella, Jasper, and Edward weren't here but Carlisle, Emmett, and Esme was waiting for me looking worried.

"Thank God, you are all right," Emmett said and crushed me with his bear hug.

"Where's Bella?"

"She's at the hospital with Edward, Jasper, Doug, and Keith," Carlisle explained and I was instantly relieved and my whole body started shaking and I dropped down on my knees. The whole intense situation was now sinking in and I couldn't stop myself from crying.

"Shhh. Everything is okay now, babe. Shhh. Don't worry- you did great. You saved Bella and she will be fine."

After several cups of coffee I felt calm enough to go with Carlisle to give a statement to the police about what I witnessed.

**BPOV**

When I opened my eyes I had a hammering headache and I saw I was surrounded by white walls and the light was hurting my eyes. I felt someone squeeze my head and noticed Edward and Lone sitting by my bed. Bed? Where am I? I thought to myself.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You're in the hospital. You had an anxiety attack. You'll be fine baby," Edward spoke softly looking really worried and his eyes were swollen and red like he had been crying.

"Oh my God! Alice! I have to go!" I said as I tried to jump out of the bed.

"Bella. Alice is fine. Shhhh. Calm down sweetheart. James doesn't have Alice. He never did." Edward explained while he held me down to the bed.

"What?"

"He tried to fool you. Alice was at the spa. She was nowhere near James. She's fine and she's on her way here. Don't worry," Jasper explained looking just as worried as Edward was.

"I don't understand. What are you saying?" I was confused and combined with my headache I couldn't grasp the situation.

"Baby, after breakfast, Alice went to the spa with Tanya, Irina, and Kate. She never stepped out of the hotel. James tried to fool you into thinking he had Alice but he never did. I don't know how James knew Alice was going to be occupied for a few hours but he used that information to lure you out so that you would go and see him. Rose saw you fly out of the hotel and ran after you. She called Emmett, so then Jasper and I ran after you two. Thankfully we caught up before you went to where James was expecting you. Once you are well enough you'll need to give your statement to the police about what happened. Did James call you baby?"

"I'm so stupid... I'm so sorry."

"Hey, there is nothing to be sorry about. You aren't hurt. That's all that matters," Edward said and wrapped his arms around me kissing my head.

After the nurse came in and checked on me Alice flew into the room like a hurricane and jumped onto the bed crawling under my covers before Edward and Lone could do anything about it. She was so quick, and sneaky.

"I'm so sorry. So sorry," Alice said bawling as she snuggled to me. "I got you almost killed twice because of me."

"What the hell, Alice?" Edward asked looking confused.

"In Forks. She could've died because I was late to pick her up and this time too, if I texted her that I was going to the spa she wouldn't have thought that James had me. It's always my fault. She's my BFF and I didn't even think to ask her to join me at the spa," Alice said and cried even harder.

"Shhh. Alice. It's not your fault that I am stupid and reckless."

"You're not stupid or reckless. I'm the stupid one."

"Let's just all agree that James is the one to blame and that we are all happy that neither you nor Alice is hurt. Agreed?"

"I second that." Lone said and both Alice and I concurred hesitantly. I still believed I was at fault and felt guilty for dragging the Cullens into my mess.

"Well now that we all agree on that, Alice, get out of Bella's bed. She needs to rest."

"No. I'm not letting her out of my sight."

"You can keep an eye on her even if you are in her bed," Edward warned Alice glaring.

"You're just jealous that it's me in bed with her and not you," Alice said glaring back at Edward causing Lone to chuckle.

While the brother and the sister team was quarreling with each other about who should be in bed with me, Esme, Carlisle, Rose and Emmett entered the room.

"Alice! Get out of Bella's bed right this minute or I'll be forced to drag you out myself," Rose threatened Alice the minute she saw Alice snuggled up to me.

"Nope. Bella needs me," Alice replied shaking her head.

"Alice dear, I know you want to be close to Bella and protect her but we're all here and Bella needs to relax," Esme said taking Alice's hand.

Alice sighed and slipped out of my bed and before I could even blink Rose was settled in my bed glaring at everyone. "I earned the right," Rose declared and everyone sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Now you scared the crap out of me. Don't ever pull that kind of stunt again. I assume James told you not to tell anyone but I'm sure you've seen plenty of movies about kidnapping. You never listen to the bad guys when they tell you not to tell anyone. There are plenty of ways to work around that. Understood?"

"Rosalie, let it go," Edward warned Rosalie glaring.

"Stop treating her with kid gloves. We can't protect her unless she acts like an adult. She's not stupid and she needs to be told what she did was not acceptable. Understood, Bella? Promise us that you'll always come to us first?"

I didn't mean to cry but I couldn't stop my tears from falling. I nodded and Rosalie held me tight in my arms.

"I love you like a sister. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I would do. Don't ever scare us again like this," Rose said as she cried and held me.

"I'm sorry."

"Bella, we're all just glad you weren't harmed but I had to let Charlie know what happened. He is on his way here on the Volturi jet with Aro, Felix, Alec and a few from the Volturi legal team. You'll need to give a statement to the police as soon as the doctor clears you and Charlie arrives. Thankfully they have a great lead thanks to Rose so they're following up on that in the mean time."

"What lead?" Edward asked Carlisle.

"Rose saw Victoria trailing Bella."

"Victoria?" Alice asked with a confused look.

"You know, Victoria. The ho with fiery red hair who was after Edward?" Rose stepped in to explain.

"Fuck! She's working with James? That's the reason behind her whole weird stunt she pulled at the hospital!" Edward said gasping.

"But she didn't smell like the perfume I smelled from the getaway car," Alice commented.

"Who knows maybe she wore a different perfume that day or there is another female accomplice, but anyway we now know she's involved and the police are after her to question her. And guess what else we found out, she works for Denali Interactive," Emmett explained looking pissed.

"Eleazar has been informed and are cooperating with the police. The police are already there gathering info on Victoria. Once Aro arrives he and his legal team will be making a visit to the Denali Interactive headquarters as well." Carlisle explained.

"Sounds like Aro finally has his excuse to go after Eleazar, and crush him and his company" Emmett said in deep thought.

I felt horrible getting so many people involved in the mess. Now the Denalis were dragged into it as well. I felt guilty that Dad was flying in and was probably worried as hell about me. I covered my face and sobbed. I was overwhelmed with everything that was happening.

"Hey, can you all give us a minute?" Edward said with a worried look and everyone nodded and left the room.

"Baby, I know what you are thinking. You have nothing to feel guilty about. I'm sure Charlie is more than happy to be here with you and this whole mess with James is not your fault. It all started with Phil's greed and you unfortunately got caught in the mess. You're not the cause. Stop feeling guilty. We all love you and we would do anything for you in a heartbeat. I love you Bella," Edward said and sat on my bed and held me tight.

My head hurt and I was overwhelmed and the medication they'd given me was making me feel drowsy.

"Just close your eyes. I'll hold you while you sleep. You have nothing to worry or fear about," Edward said as I felt my eyes drift shut.

**EPOV**

I tried to act calm and collected but inside I was fuming with rage. I wanted to kill James. I was furious at myself for letting Bella out of my sight. I let my guard down and was enjoying this trip too much. If I had been more alert none of this would've happened. I of all people should know Bella has no sense of self preservation. I didn't want to be but I also felt anger towards Bella. In the hospital I said everything I could to make her feel less guilty but really I felt that a note telling me that she loved me was not a selfless act. In my mind it was selfish. She risked her life and if she had been killed by James it would've broken all of our hearts including Alice's.

Bella was asleep and I needed a moment collect myself so that I could be the perfect boyfriend she deserved. I gently pulled myself off of Bella and as I stepped out, Jasper's eyes met mine. He nodded and said "I'll keep an eye on her for you," as if he sensed and understood how I felt and that I needed a little time on my own.

I walked across the street and went into a diner. I ordered a cup of coffee, and not even a minute later, I sensed someone had slipped into my booth. When I looked up, I saw someone I didn't expect, a distressed looking Victoria now sat across from me.

She reached over and grabbed my hand. "It's not James and I you need to protect your precious Bella from. He's only doing what he's been instructed to," she said her voice sounded scared and weak.

"I'm calling the cops," I warned, pulling out my phone.

Victoria reached over and tried to grab my phone shaking her head. "I can help you, if you help me. I don't want James to die. I'd rather he get arrested while he hasn't done anything more stupid," she said begging me to listen to her.

"Get your hands off of me," I shouted. People around us started staring at us. "Call the cops," I shouted and Victoria quickly got out of the booth but before she ran she whispered, "I'll contact you when you're back in Seattle," she promised before she flew out of the diner.

The manager of the diner came to my booth and told me that the cops were on their way here. I thanked him and sat and waited for them to show up as I reflected back on what Victoria said to me. If James and Victoria were someone's puppet, who was the puppeteer – the mastermind behind all this? Or was Victoria just making things up to fool me into believing her?

I called my dad to tell him what happened and he told me to withhold talking to the cops until he and Doug were here. The day just seemed to get worse by the minute. All I now wanted to do was hold Bella and just sleep and forget about everything that was happening around us.

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.

I'm very sorry for the late update. My chi has been sick and after all the bloodtests under the sun, several visits to the vet, and finally after seeing a specialist and getting an MRI and CT done we found out my Chihuahua has IVDD, and has problems in his neck. Thankfully it was treatable with medication and he didn't need surgery.


	27. Chapter 26 I love you, and I'm sorry

Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

I only own the plot of this story.

Very special thanks to my beta, JCook169. As always she was wonderful and got this chapter edited so quickly and made it so much more enjoyable for you all to read.

**Chapter 26 I love you and I'm sorry**

**BPOV**

I must've fallen asleep. When I woke up in my hospital bed, I found Alice alone, sleeping in a chair beside my bed. I stretched, shook my legs under the covers and moved my arm around a bit. Once I was sure I wasn't feeling dizzy and could make it out of bed, I quietly got up and searched for my clothes. Finding them folded on the side table, I snuck into the bathroom and quickly changed.

I just couldn't keep putting people in danger. Even after the talk with Edward, I was overwhelmed with guilt. My actions of running away from Phil have put so many people I love at risk and there was no way I could keep living like this. My decision was made and there was no point in agonizing over pros and cons anymore. I needed to disappear in order to keep everyone safe.

I cracked open the door as quietly as I could and made sure Alice was asleep. I was thankful that the hotel room keycard was still in my pocket. I whispered "I'm sorry," to Alice as I exited the hospital room. I had some cash in my jeans so I took a cab and went back to the hotel hoping that none of the Cullens were back at the hotel. As soon as I unlocked the door to my hotel room, I got pushed in further with force and the door slammed shut.

"Be quiet and just listen to me," I heard a woman's order as she had me in a death grip with my mouth covered. I nodded my compliance and she started to speak. "Everything would be so much easier if I killed you this moment but that's not my intention. You need to listen to me. I tried talking to your boyfriend but he wouldn't listen. James and I are not the ones you need to be afraid of. It's true he's angry with you for getting Phil arrested and stopping him from becoming famous but now most of his anger is the result of her spewing lies to him. James is finally realizing that we are in as much danger as you are if we don't do exactly as she says. You need to disappear before you get hurt. She won't stop until you are out of the picture. Stop working on that stupid game engine," she finished. I then heard the door creak open before I was pushed further into the room. The door slammed shut and I heard someone running down the hallway.

I was scared but I managed to look behind me. Just as I predicted she was no longer in the room so the running I heard down in the hallway must've been her. I didn't get to see who it was but I assumed it was Victoria. I wasn't expecting a visit from her but this was more reason for me to disappear. I couldn't bring more trouble to all the people I loved. It was for the best for everyone including myself. Volturi Games can live without me. The team had all they need to finish developing the game engine.

I grabbed my bag and dumped things that I would no longer need. I didn't need any fancy dresses and shoes for where I was heading. Since I was going to disappear I only needed essentials. As I was packing I head the door open again. I panicked and turned around.

"Where do you think you're going missy?" Alice said glaring at me.

"Alice, I have to disappear. I don't want to harm anyone of you. It's for the best."

"Are you kidding me? You think disappearing is for the best? Do you have any idea what that will do to Charlie, Edward and everyone else who loves you including me?"

"Alice, I don't have time to argue with you. I have to go."

"Well if you really have to then go, but I'm going with you."

"Alice, stop arguing with me. You can't come with me."

"It's either you don't go or you go with me. I will scream and call for security if you don't agree to me coming with you."

"Alice, please," I begged but while we were arguing Alice was already busily packing her bag.

"Grrrr. I guess I'll just have to buy some things along the way. I can't be hauling all these things on my own," Alice muttered while she packed.

I wasn't strong enough or fast enough to slip out without Alice catching up with me. The only option was to agree with her and maybe when the opportunity arises I'll escape from her.

"Okay. You can come along but don't expect luxury. I don't have that much cash. I'll need to hit the ATM somewhere here in New York and take out the maximum and withdraw again when I run out of that. I need to make it last as long as possible."

"Don't worry about cash. I brought a lot."

"I can't use your money."

"Shut it. Stop arguing with me. We are going to disappear in style! How cool is that!" Alice said squealing.

I rolled my eyes at her. She wasn't taking this serious enough. I really needed to lose her as soon as possible.

"Bella, we're no longer minors so we can do whatever we want, but we need to leave something to let them know that we aren't kidnapped, and that we are doing this because we want to. Here, come closer, we'll make a video and send it to my parents as soon as we are out of State."

Alice started taping us with her phone and what she said on the video was so typical Alice that I could no longer be pissed at her. I withdrew cash from the nearest ATM. Alice hailed a cab and I asked her where we were going.

"We're going to Philly! It's the state where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Isn't it so fitting? We're claiming our Independence as well! Woo hoo!" Alice shrieked fist pumping. I just rolled my eyes at her antics.

We took a cab to Penn Station and I asked Alice if I could just wait with our luggage while she went and got the tickets. I thought this was my best chance of losing her.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Like I don't know what you're trying to pull. Do you think I'm stupid? You're not gonna get rid of me that easily," Alice chided shaking her head before dragging me along with her to buy the tickets.

My eyes bulged out when she asked for two business class seats, but then I calmed down when the lady at the counter said we were lucky because those two business class seats were all that was left for that departure time. We quickly thanked her and went to board the train.

"I'm so excited. I always wanted to travel cross-country, stopping at different states. Oh we're gonna have so much fun, Bella," Alice squealed again and hugged me. Once we took our seats Alice pulled out her phone and sent the video we made earlier.

**EPOV **

"Hi Mom Hi Dad! This is Alice and Bella. Don't worry about Bella. I found her trying to disappear from us again. I promise to take good care of her, Chief Swan and Edward! We're going to disappear for a bit but don't worry. We'll be careful. Just don't stop my credit card because that's like signing our death warrant. Bye, we love you all!"

We looked at each other in shock from the video we just watched. I couldn't help but note that Bella looked pissed; pouting and shaking her head when Alice mentioned not stopping her credit card.

I kept checking my phone to see if Bella had responded to my texts asking her where she was and to contact me as soon as she got the message. So far the only thing I received was the video from Alice.

"What were they thinking?" Mom shouted raising both fists in the air.

"Calm down, Mom. At least we know the girls are safe and that Alice caught Bella before she took off. You should be proud of Alice for mentioning that bit about the credit card in the end. I think that's her way of telling us to trace the credit card to know where they are," Emmett said surprising us all. "She was smart. I bet Bella didn't catch that and only thought of Alice acting her typical self."

"Unfortunately, this video is a proof they went off on their own free will so we can't involve the cops to find them," Rose said sighing.

"What are we going to tell Charlie?" Mom sobbed into Dad's arms.

"We'll just have to keep calm and think of what we can do next," Dad said in a soothing voice trying to calm Mom down.

"So now we need to think of where they would go," Rosalie suggested.

"In the mean time I'll just make some calls to my friends on the force and keep an eye out for the girls unofficially," Doug said as he pulled out his phone.

I felt like a part of me was ripped out of my chest, sick to my stomach and weak in my knees. I slid down the wall and sat on the carpet in my parents' hotel room. Jasper followed suit but he switched on his laptop and started fiddling with it. If I didn't go to the diner and left the others to watch over Bella, this wouldn't have happened.

"If Bella signs in on to her laptop I'll be able to track it, but I'm pretty sure she remembers me installing the tracker as a precaution to track the laptop if it went missing so she might disable it." Jasper said and I just nodded at him and hoped for the best. I kept drumming my fingers on my knees and rocking my upper body, feeling nervous and worried.

"Get a grip, Edward. We're all worried about the girls but we can't just sit around and do nothing. Let's start with friends. Who are Alice's friends? Where do they live?" Jasper asked but I was at loss for answers. Thinking back I really didn't know who her friends were. She didn't really have any in Forks that I knew of except for her classmates that I really wouldn't classify as friends.

"Mom, we need some help here. Do you know Alice's friends?" I asked.

Mom walked over and sat beside Jasper and I on the carpet. "Edward, I'm going to go back to Forks as soon as Aro's jet lands. I need to search through Alice's room to find whatever I can on friends she still keeps in touch with whom she met at camps and trips she's gone. For now I'll try contacting the people we know with summer homes in the Hamptons. I've already called our caretaker there. If the girls show up he'll call us. Your dad called the Blacks so they're going to keep an eye out on our home and Charlie's, and the doorman has been alerted at the girls' and your condos.. "

"Oh, I should contact the doorman at my place too," Jasper said and pulled his phone.

Rose walked over and sat with us. "You know it's a really good thing that Alice is with Bella. This way we know they'll never sleep at bus stations or dingy motels. I hate to say this and you might say I'm too optimistic but my gut says that the girls will be fine and they're probably having a great time unlike us. We have so much crap to clean up after them. First there's Charlie to deal with, then Aro. I wish they took me along," Rose said earning a death glare from Mom, Jasper and me.

"I got a text from Alice," Dad shouted and then sighed loudly. "Daddy, we won't be showing up for classes so please take care of it. Everything is fine. We're munching on chips and sipping sodas while watching T.V," is what her text says.

"Well, at least we now know they are somewhere safe with a roof over their heads and food in their stomach. Which means they are probably still on the East Coast and not that far from New York. Hey, I'm hungry too. It's not fair that the girls get to eat and I don't," Emmett whined earning an elbow in his gut from Rose.

People I didn't know were coming and going from my parents' room; introducing themselves. Most of them were friends of Charlie's, Doug's and Keith's and they started discussing what they needed to do next to find the girls.

I lost count of the passing hours. Out of courtesy to Denali Interactive, Emmett, Rosalie, and Dad went to the Denali's New Years' Eve party so that they could make an appearance, shake some hands and then make a early departure. People stopped coming into our room and Keith and Doug left, promising to return when Charlie showed up.

I moved to the window and realized that soon the countdown would start and the ball was going to drop. Mom switched the TV to one of the major networks and started to watch the coverage. "I wonder if the girls are actually still here in the city to watch this," she murmured and started crying again. Tonight was supposed to be a very romantic night for Bella and I. She would've been in my arms as we watched the ball drop and and I planned to kiss her silly wishing her a Happy New Year. Now all I'm going to ever remember about New Years Eve is this dreadful memory of feeling alone, worried, scared, and heartbroken.

Dad returned a few minutes before midnight. He said he told Emmett and Rosalie to stay at the party and that he'd inform them of any change. Jasper, my parents and I stood by the window and watched the ball drop. I didn't think Bella would respond but I took a picture and sent it to her wishing her a happy new year and that I missed her and wanted her back in my arms.

Jasper and I saw my dad kiss my mom and hold her tight whispering to her that everything was going to be all right and that we'd find the girls. When they finished kissing, they came over and hugged Jasper and I.

Pretty soon Chief Swan and Aro would be here so Jasper and I decided to go and get cleaned up in our room. I am not sure why but after we showered we both went to Alice and Bella's room and sat on their beds. Just being in their room with things they left behind made me feel better and I assumed the same for Jasper. I felt stupid that I couldn't do anything while at least Jasper had contacts in the online community who knew Bella and was busily chatting notifying his friends online to alert him if any of them see "Ugly Duckling" come online.

Right after Jasper and I got a text from Mom, I received a text from Bella with a picture of fireworks that she must've taken where she was. "I love you and I'm sorry," was all she wrote back.

"Jasper, look!" I shouted and he hopped on Bella's bed and looked at the picture on the phone I was holding.

"Forward the picture to me. I'll start checking online and see pictures of fireworks and see if I can find a match and I'll also post on it the internet and ask if anyone knows where this is," he said before returning to Alice's bed to start his search. This was something I could also do, so I picked up my laptop and hurried to my parents' room to notify them of this latest development while Jasper stayed here and did his research.

While I had considered the worst, that there would be a screaming match when the Chief arrived, instead everyone was discussing the situation calmly and making calls trying to locate the girls. The Chief looked sad and defeated but he was busy talking to someone on the phone describing what Bella was wearing today, her height, weight, hair and eye color.

Mom came beside me and took my hand and told me to sit beside her on the couch. "Mom, there's a development. Bella sent me a text with an attachment of fireworks." As soon as those words left my mouth everyone surrounded me and looked down on my phone.

"I'll need you to forward that to me," Charlie requested immediately and the others also took out their phone asking me to forward the picture to them as well.

In less than half an hour Jasper came running into my parents' room screaming that he knew where the girls were and that they were in Philadelphia. He showed everyone the exact same firework picture someone took from a place called Penn's Landing in Philadelphia.

In matter of minutes the decision was made that the Chief, Felix, Alec, Jasper and I were heading off to Philadelphia, Dad was staying here with Aro and the legal team, and Mom was going home to Forks in the morning. Jasper and I rushed back to our room to get the stuff we needed before running to the lobby to hop in the cars Aro hired for our trip to Philadelphia. In a matter of hours we would be in Philly where the girls were. We had no idea where exactly in Philly they were but at least we would be closer to them than we were now.

While we were in the car, Jasper and I were looking for major tourist spots in Philly. There was going to be Mummer's parade on New Year's Day and we were sure Alice wouldn't miss it but the parade route covered a large area so there was no way we could catch them so the parade was ruled out of the possible locations to stake out. The locations we finally narrowed our list down to were Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Rocky statue near the art museum. Charlie cocked a brow at me when I mentioned the Rocky statue but I knew my sister well enough, she wouldn't miss taking a picture with Rocky so that she could brag to Emmett.

**APOV**

"Alice, Philadelphia is a big city. No hotel will rent to 18 yr olds," Bella said worriedly.

"Silly Bella. Of course I know that. It's all taken care of. I don't have that many but I do have some friends you know. I have a friend in Philadelphia I met at a summer camp years ago that I still keep in touch with and she goes to University of Pennsylvania and lives in a condo in Center City. I already sent an email to her and she said she would leave her keys with the doorman. She's spending a few nights at her boyfriend's place so we have the place all to ourselves for a few days. That's plenty until we figure out where we want to go next," I explained to Bella rubbing her arm to calm her down. I saw some relief in her eyes but she still looked anxious. I needed to up my game and cheer her up.

"Alice, I want you to go home after Philadelphia. Classes will start."

"Eh, don't worry about it. I'll text my dad so he can take care of it. I'm not worried. We're still young; we can go to college anytime." Bella sighed and just stared out the window.

Shortly after 7 p.m. we arrived at the 30th street station in Philadelphia. We hailed a cab and when we arrived in front of a high rise apartment called 1500 Locust. I gave my name and showed my ID to the doorman, mentioning to him that Kelly left the keys to her place for me. The doorman smiled and handed the keys me. We rode the elevator to Kelly's apartment, which was a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment- thank God Kelly's parents were loaded. I went to the kitchen and found two cans of soda and a bag of chips.

"Let's snack a bit for now and later we can head on out and look for a place where we can get some real food," I suggested to Bella. Bella looked overwhelmed with all of this. "You might as well relax and enjoy, you're not gonna get rid of me so get used to it," I said and tickled her. I had always wanted to visit Kelly in Philly so I had already done some research on Philly so I knew enough of the surrounding are to last a few days here.

While we were munching on the chips my phone rang and noticed that Kelly was calling me. "Hey Kelly!"

"Hi Alice, are you here in Philly yet?"

"We're actually in your apartment now."

"Oh really? Hey we have extra tickets for the New Year's Eve party on the Spirit of Philadelphia. You girls game?" Kelly asked.

"You betcha!" Yippee!

"All right, you think you girls can be out front in 15 minutes? My boyfriend and I'll pick you girls up."

"Superb! We'll be there," I said and hung up the phone. "Bella, we don't have time. We need to pretty ourselves up for the New Year's party cruise!" For a second I saw a perk in Bella's eyes but it quickly went back to brooding. "Enjoy the ride Bella. Do you plan to stay miserable the whole time? They don't know where we are, we have officially disappeared. They're going to worry but there's nothing we can do about that and why does disappearing have to be like what we see on movies and T.V who said we can't have fun? Get up and change into something nicer."

"I don't have anything appropriate. I'll just stay here."

"No can do. I brought the dress you were supposed to wear tonight. I saw it still hanging in the closet so I packed it in my bag," I said and shoved her dress at her.

**BPOV**

Alice wouldn't take no for an answer and I just didn't have the strength left to argue so I dressed quickly and we headed down to the lobby and waited for Kelly's car to arrive.

Alice squealed as she hugged Kelly before introducing me to Kelly and her boyfriend Sean. We quickly got into their car and drove the short distance to the waterfront where we soon saw the Spirit of Philadelphia.

"How did you get last minute extra tickets?" Alice asked Kelly.

"They were tickets for my friend Laura and her boyfriend Scott, but they got in a huge fight earlier this morning and broke up. Since you were coming I decided to try you guys before calling anyone else. I was so excited when I found out you two were already here in Philly. I feel bad for Laura that she's alone on New Year's Eve but she just wasn't in the mood to come along alone. She wasn't in the mood for festivity." Kelly said and I completely understood how her friend Laura felt. I didn't exactly breakup with Edward but my disappearing was basically the same thing. I wasn't in the mood for festivity either. As soon as Kelly mentioned the breakup Alice squeezed my hand gently and looked at me showing she understood what I was feeling.

The girls and Sean were happy as they animatedly talked about school and all that was going on with them but I just spaced out; looking around the room and people watched. Some of Sean's friends were also on board so he went to join them since Kelly and Alice were too busy catching up.

Soon it was time for the fireworks and we got up to take pictures. When midnight arrived we hugged and wished ourselves a happy new year. Then suddenly my phone vibrated and saw I got a text from Edward with a picture of the ball dropping in Times Square. I was overwhelmed with guilt- it was supposed to be one of my happiest moments to see the new year arrive cuddled in Edward's arms while we watched the ball drop together. I don't know what came over me but I sent a message to Edward with an attachment of the fireworks I took. As soon as I hit send I realized what I had done.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so stupid, stupid, stupid," I said repeatedly while I kept hitting my forehead. Alice quickly grabbed my hand and stopped me from hurting myself.

"What got into you?"

"I made a huge mistake. I sent a picture of the fireworks to Edward…"

"That's okay. It's only fireworks. All fireworks are pretty much the same. We'll do some sightseeing tomorrow and leave for somewhere in the late afternoon," Alice promised and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

"Oh, you guys don't have the next location planned? How about Virginia? My cousin lives in Alexandria and is a flight attendant. I think she's leaving tomorrow for a 2 week vacation with her boyfriend so I'm sure I can talk her into letting you stay at her place. Just a sec, I'll give her a call," Kelly said and called her cousin.

"Ooooh. We can go to Washington D.C. and do sightseeing. Sounds fantastic doesn't it?" Alice said bouncing happily and Kelly gave an excited thumbs up to Alice to confirm that we can crash at her cousin's place. Wow, now I knew why Alice and Kelly got along. In a little while Sean returned to our table.

"What are you girls doing tomorrow?" Sean asked.

"Well I want to see Mummer's parade, and other tourist spots here," Alice answered excitedly.

"Hey, we have tickets for Laura and Scott that won't get used on the Grand Stand Performance zone. Wanna join us? After, we could take you girls around sightseeing," Kelly suggested.

"Yay!" Alice squealed and took Kelly's hands and bounced together while Sean and I rolled our eyes chuckling.

I felt bad but I was slowly snapping out of my funk. I still felt incredibly guilty but what was done was done and I couldn't undo it. I might as well enjoy a little I said to myself as I tried to justify my actions.

**A/N **

I'm sorry for taking a while to post this new chapter. I finally got to take my summer vacation! I went to Sri Lanka with my friend from work. After I got back I had a truck load of work accumulated to clear out and just couldn't make the time to write this chapter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.


	28. Chapter 27 The End of the Road

**Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

I'm really sorry for taking so long to get this new chapter up.

Things had been really hectic on my end. It's been 15 months since the earthquake that hit us in Japan but the government's announcement that we'll get hit by another one bigger than before in less than 4 years was quite alarming. We even had nationwide evacuation practice a few months earlier at major train stations, buildings, shopping malls and department stores to evaluate what more we need to do to prepare ourselves from the quake.

With all that going on I was just not in a place mentally to sit and keep writing.

I hope I haven't lost too many readers and hope to keep writing new chapters that you will all enjoy.

Now this chapter is more of a chapter setting things to come, I wish I was able to come back with a bang, just wanted to warn you all before you started reading this chapter.

Special thank you to JCook169 for her awesome beta skills, for turning this chapter around so quickly for me, and continuing to be my friendship means so much to me.

I want to also thank Karen for your continued friendship and prayers.

**Chapter 27 The End of the Road**

**APOV**

I was a little nervous that the picture Bella sent to Edward might tip them off and lead them to us in Philadelphia, but Philly is a huge city, so chances were we could get out before we were caught.

What troubled me more was that Bella was shivering and her face was red. I was getting really worried that she was coming down with something.

After the parade was over, we said goodbye to Kelly and went to grab a bite to eat before we planned to head to the station. By that time I could tell Bella was really sick. I kept asking her if she was all right, and while she replied that she was "fine" she looked far from fine. She was moving slower, and while we waited for our food, she was nodding off, looking barely conscious.

When our food arrived, I tapped Bella gently, but she wouldn't wake up. "Bella, Bella?" I kept asking.

When I realized that she was no longer conscious, I ran to the counter and asked the waitress to call an ambulance for us so that I could get Bella to an emergency room.

While I waited for the ambulance, I picked up my phone and called my dad.

"Dad?" I said into my phone.

"Oh, sweetheart, where are you? You girls have some explaining to do," he said. He didn't sound angry but he did sound very worried.

"Dad, I don't have time to explain. Bella is really sick. We're in Philly. I'm taking her to the emergency room. The ambulance should be here soon."

"Alice, as soon as you find out which hospital Bella's going to be taken to, call me. I'll make arrangements as soon as I have that information," Dad instructed, ending the call.

Once I was at the hospital I called my dad and gave him the information so that he could make arrangements. He told me that Charlie, Edward, Felix, Alec, and Jasper were already here in Philadelphia and not to do anything stupid; just wait for them in the lobby.

I stood by the entrance of the lobby and saw Charlie and Edward rushing out of the car with Felix, Alec, and Jasper on their tails.

I felt incredibly guilty seeing the worry on all their faces.

"Where is she?" was the first words out of the Chief's and Edward's mouths.

"She's with the doctors and," before I could finish my sentence, Charlie rushed into the hospital to talk to the person at the counter.

I was sobbing from guilt and worry so Edward wrapped his arms around me. He rested his head on mine, and just rubbed my back letting me know that everything was going to be okay.

"You two had us worried sick. The fun is over. We're all going home as soon as Bella is able to leave," Edward said and just held me tighter as I started balling my eyes out.

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are and I know it's not your fault that Bella is sick. It was poor judgment and I'm sure you two won't get off that easily this time, but the most important thing is that you two are now safe and we're all together now," Edward said sighing. His expression on his face seemed softer and I saw some relief in his eyes.

"Is Dad coming to Philly too?"

"I'm sure he's on his way here by now. He said he knows some doctors here so everything will be fine."

As soon as I calmed down, Edward and Felix left to go find Charlie, and the rest of us sat and waited for them to return with the status of Bella's condition.

Charlie, Edward, and Felix returned to the waiting area looking like they hadn't slept in days.

"She's going to be okay. Her fever is still high, but they think it's just a cold, worsened from exhaustion. Once her fever is managed they could release her but I'll just wait till your father arrives. He'll know what's best for Bella.

Alice, what have you two been doing?" Charlie asked. I know he was trying hard not to sound angry or blame things on me but I understood that it was hard for him to keep his emotions in check.

Through sobs and hiccups I explained to Charlie what we had been doing since we left New York. The Chief just nodded and sighed.

It seemed like exhaustion was finally catching up with him now he knows Bella is safe with him and the earlier adrenaline that was pumping in him must've started to wane.

"There's not much we can do for her right now, so why don't you all go back to the hotel?" Charlie suggested.

"I'll stay with you," Edward answered and Felix suggested that he stay while Alec, Jasper and I go back to the hotel.

I wanted to protest that I wanted to stay at the hospital with Bella but I knew it wouldn't be smart to argue with Charlie right now so I agreed.

Once we were in the car, I apologized to Jasper for making him worry, but the reply I got back from him was nothing I was expecting. I had never seen so much anger in Jasper's eyes.

"I don't want to talk to you right now. I'm very upset and I don't want to say anything I'll regret later" was all he said and he turned his body and stared out the window.

I deserved every bit of that but since Edward didn't yell or scream at me, I didn't expect Jasper to be so upset with me.

**EPOV**

I left Charlie and Felix in the waiting area and went to get us some coffee. I didn't want to leave but it was better that Felix stayed for security reasons although I doubted we had any threat here in this hospital but one can't be sure and there was no way I would risk Bella's safety.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed until I woke to my dad's hand on my shoulder.

"We can leave now. Bella is being released," he said as I looked up and saw Felix carrying a sleeping Bella in his arms.

I wished I could take her into my arms, but I kept my thoughts to myself as we all walked to Felix's car.

I sat in the back with Charlie while he held Bella; her legs lay straight across my knees.

It was a short ride to the hote, and once we arrived Dad settled Bella in the Chief's room, telling Charlie to call him when she wakes up or if her fever spikes again.

I offered to watch her instead, but Charlie suggested taking shifts as he knew I wanted to be with her too and we all needed to catch some sleep.

I went up to my room and found Jasper lying on the bed watching TV. I was surprised to see him here and not with Alice.

"How is Bella?" Jasper asked with a worried look.

"She's back in Charlie's room. She'll be okay. Her fever is down; she just needs to rest," I explained and Jasper nodded.

"May I ask why you're here and not with my sister?"

"I told her that I can't talk to her right now. I'm too angry. I'm more surprised at how calm you are."

"Well actually, I'm surprised myself as well, but you know all that matters is that Bella and Alice are safe with us now. They did something incredibly stupid and irresponsible, but at that time maybe it was what they thought was best. At this moment I'm just thankful my sister had the brains to not take it into her own hands and called Dad for help. She could've dealt this all on her own, but she didn't. I'm sure she knows Bella won't be happy with her when she wakes up seeing that her plan to run away has failed because of Alice's judgment. I'm going to give Alice credit for that."

"I still think Alice should've talked to either you or me. I can't believe she wouldn't trust me enough to tell me."

"Look I'm not trying to say what Alice did was right; it was really foolish and childish to not stop Bella or come to one of us, but it must've happened all too quickly, and I'm sure it seemed fun too. I know I've done a lot of stupid things, maybe not something to this scale, and I'm probably going to regret defending her once things settled and I start to feel angry about this whole thing, but right now I think she needs you. She's worried about Bella's health, she's worried that she's going to be in a lot of trouble, and I'm sure she's most worried about what kind of significance what her actions did for Bella and her friendship. Now go and tell her how you feel," I finished as I nudged Jasper out of the room.

I heard a knock on the door after I started to doze off a bit. When I went to open the door, I saw Dad holding two cups of coffee looking exhausted.

"Just thought I'd come and see how you are doing," he said as he walked into my room.

"Better than I was before we knew the whereabouts of the girls," I said and saw Dad nodding.

"So what's the plan?" I asked wanting to know what Dad and the Chief discussed.

"Bella needs to rest another day before she can fly, so Charlie and I'll be leaving for Seattle the day after tomorrow with Felix, but I'm sending Alec, Jasper and Alice back tomorrow to Seattle where your mother will pickup Alice and go home to Forks. What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to stay and go back with you all."

"I assumed as much but I thought I'd ask."

"So what's the verdict on Alice?"

"I'll deal with her once I'm back in Forks. Now's not the time Seeing that emotions are running high and might be a little irrational right now. I'm sure your mother has a lot to say to her as well. She's been calling me so many times wanting to chew Alice's ear out but I've told her to wait until Alice is back in Forks," Dad said chuckling.

"What does the Chief plan to do about Bella? Will he let her stay in Seattle?"

"He wants to take her back home to Forks and decide the rest later. Right now he's just too exhausted and he can't miss much more of work or he'll need to step down from the Chief position. I know that's not what you want to hear, I'm sure you'd want her in Seattle but right now I think they need some time together. "

"I understand. I'll miss her but I'll manage. I'll just be accumulating a lot of mileage on my car for all the trips I'll be making from Seattle to Forks."

"Oh, I almost forgot. I called Aro to let him know the situation. He said to let you know you can have another week off but wanted you back in the office after that."

"I'm surprised he's even giving me another week off."

"He seems to be more understanding when it comes to Bella."

"Eww. Should we be worried?"

"Your mother thinks we shouldn't need to worry. She says she's watched Aro like a hawk whenever Bella is involved and she doesn't think he sees her as a female interest but more like a daughter or a niece. I wouldn't bet on it but he's had plenty of opportunities but he's never acted inappropriately so let's take your mom's word for now but just always keep your eyes open. Well, Son, I'm going to catch a few hours of sleep and then release Charlie from his shift with Bella so that he can catch some zzzzs as well. Go catch some sleep too; I'll call you when I need you to take over the next shift."

**BPOV**

Shocked was the understatement of the year. I felt something warm snuggled up to me and thought it was Alice, but then the last thing I remembered was waiting for my food so I felt really confused. I opened my eyes and realized that I was in bed and smelled something so familiar that I had missed. I shifted my body and felt the ache all over. I gasped when I realized that it was Edward snuggled against me and not Alice. I turned my head around and tried to figure out where I was when I noticed Alec smiling happily giving me a thumbs up seated in a couch near the foot of the bed.

I was really confused and couldn't understand what was going on. "Where am I?" I whispered to Alec.

"Sleeping beauty awakes. We're still in Philly. You lost consciousness in the diner and was taken to the hospital. The rest are all downstairs for breakfast."

"The rest? Who? Wait, before you answer, could you help me up without waking Edward? I want to use the bathroom. I'm not sure why but my body isn't working with me. I feel achy all over."

Alec helped me to the bathroom and waited for me outside the door. My imagination went rampant as I tried to think of what had occurred between the time I arrived at the diner with Alice before leaving for D.C, and present time, here, in a hotel.

Once Alec helped me out of the bathroom, he settled me on to the other bed beside Edward as he was now sprawled out on the bed snoring.

"So?"

"Ah, okay. You wanted to know who "they" were. "They" means Alice, Jasper, Felix, Mr. Cullen and your father. You were taken to the emergency room after passing out, your fever became manageable so you got released and have been here since. Now before you even ask, the answer is no. I won't let you escape this time. I'll tie you up if I have to so don't make me," he said chuckling.

"Crap" I hung my head in shame and guilt.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, but really it's not that bad. We're all just relieved finding you two before anything more serious happened. You both had us worried sick. You'll be fine until the novelty of having you two back wears off, "Alec guffawed.

"Seriously? You're laughing?"

"Bella, all you can really do now is just laugh and grovel for forgiveness. Don't worry your pretty head about it. You made a decision that wasn't wise and caused a huge mess but at the end of the day all that matters is that you are back where you belong and safe. No one will stay mad at you if they even are now and that includes your father. I had never seen a man so distraught in my life. You need to take care of yourself but my advice to you is to take care of your old man better. He's not going to always be there, so don't throw away the time you have with him. Life is short. He's a great man and he deserves to live in peace, happily with his daughter. Don't take that away from him."

I nodded. Alec's words weighed heavily on me. I thought I was doing what was best for everyone but as soon as I had left New York I started to doubt myself wondering if the decision I made was really the best or not and now hearing Alec's words I was doubting myself more.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" Alec asked.

"I'm a little thirsty but not sure if I'm hungry," I answered and Alec passed me a bottle of water.

"How long has he been out?" I asked Alec pointing to Edward.

"He's been out about an hour. Your father and Mr. Cullen took shifts watching over you during the night and Edward came an hour ago with me to relieve Felix and your father from keeping an eye on you. I'm going to text Felix to alert him you're awake, okay? Do you want more time before your father comes running up here?"

"Could you give me 10 minutes? I should probably wake Edward up before he wakes up in the middle of my father running in here."

"Tell you what, I'll just step outside the door. Come and knock on the door when you are ready for me to alert the others that you are awake," Alec said and went out the door.

I sat on the bed and brushed my fingers through Edwards's hair. He was still asleep but his hand reached out to mine and he sighed. I brushed my finger on his cheek and suddenly his eyes opened with a surprised look on his face.

"You're awake! Oh Bella I missed you…" he said and then gasped. "Why are you sitting up? You should be the one lying down, not me!" He jerked himself up and held me in his arms to tuck me back in bed.

"I feel really weak but I'm fine."

"You're not fine and if the Chief catches you out of bed I'm going to be a dead man."

He brushed my hair out of my face and gently kissed me on my lips. "I missed you but I should alert your dad that you're awake."

"I'm really sorry. "

"Shhh. It's all okay now. You're back. All you need to do is concentrate on getting better. Don't worry about anything else."

"How is Alice?"

"Please don't be made at her. She's really feeling awful right now."

"I don't think I'm mad at her. Maybe I will be once my dad yells at me," I said chuckling.

"I don't think anyone's going to be mad at you. All that matters to any of us is that you two are back safe."

"I'm still sorry."

"No more of worrying us or scaring us to death okay?"

"I promise." I said brushing my lips on to his. "Could you go and alert Alec that it's okay for him to alert everyone else that I'm up?"

"As much as I want you all to myself, I know the rest of them want to see you both, especially Alice since she's being shipped back home today."

"She is?"

"Yup. She has to face my mother's wrath alone back home," Edward said chuckling. "Jasper, and Alec are going home today as well. It's just our dads, Felix and I staying behind with you for another day and then we'll all fly home together."

"Do you know what my dad plans to do with me?"

"He wants to take you back home to Forks," Edward answered searching for my reaction.

"I wouldn't expect anything else," I said nodding.

Edward went and told Alec that it was now okay for him to alert the rest and in less than 5 minutes the room was filled with everyone looking happy to see me awake. As soon as I saw them all I wished I had at least checked my appearance in the mirror. I had been asleep so I could only imagine how terrible I looked.

Alice was sniffling when she saw me and kept apologizing to me that she called for help thus ending my plans of running away. I assured her that I'm sure she meant well and that it will all turn out okay. I was just too weak and tired to really think if this was for the best or not because my brain was just not alert enough to really think anything through.

My dad came up to me as Edward got off the bed to make room for him. He sat on the bed and held me tight. "Don't scare me anymore, Bells. I can't lose you again," He said and kissed me on my head. I nodded and wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him softly.

It was time for Alec, Jasper, and Alice to leave for the airport. They all hugged me, wishing me well and told me they'd see me back in Forks.

Edward was sent back to his room to take a nap so that he could rest before his next shift watching me. After he left, I was forced to try to sleep so I closed my eyes but was dozing in and out when I overheard Carlisle and Dad talking about the Denali Interactive's involvement with James.

They were saying something about Irina's boyfriend going missing and that there was a connection between him and James as the police were able to find some kind of monetary transaction. Due to that evidence, Denali Interactive was now part of the investigation so Carlisle was no longer allowed in the Denali Interactive's headquarters or talk directly to anyone from Denali Interactive.

All of what I overheard was confusing and I made a mental note to ask Edward later as I was too weak and tired to concentrate on what the men were discussing. I wasn't sure if I was hearing everything correctly and I could no longer stay awake.

I woke up to rustling of feet and whispers and the door closing. I felt the bed shift, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Edward smiling and he slid under the covers and joined me.

"No funny business," I heard Felix say laughing.

"Like you know what funny business even is," Edward teased back. Felix huffed and went back to watching T.V.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that you're here," I said and snuggled into him. Edward lifted the covers over our heads causing Felix to clear his throat loudly and laugh at us.

"I'm going to assume my position outside the door. Come get me if you need something. If you hear me banging on the door, that's the sign I see your parents walking towards the door. Just remember, she's in bed because she's still sick!" Felix said chuckling before leaving the room.

"So, I spoke with my mom, it seems like you're coming to stay with us since your dad needs to return to work immediately."

"I assumed as much. I feel horrible that he wasted so many days on me because of what I did. Not just my Dad, all of you. I really didn't consider of all the consequences of my actions and how it'd hurt and disrupt everyone's lives. I'm so sorry…"

"Stop worrying. Just don't run away from us again. None of us can live without you. I can't live without you. I would've kept looking for you; all of us would've kept looking for you until we found you. There is no doubt about that. Please come to me if you ever feel overwhelmed. I'm in this all the way- you can't get rid of me," Edward promised as he held me gently and kissed me softly.

I of course kissed him right back.

It felt so good to be back in his arms where I felt comfortable and at peace. All of what I had on my mind and on my shoulders seemed to melt away. I just wanted to be smothered in his love and forget everything, at least for the moment.

I started to sneak my hand under his shirt but he stopped my hand. "We can cuddle but not more than that. You're still warmer than usual and you need to keep your energy." I pouted and tried batting my eyelashes at him. Edward laughed and said "not gonna work even if you're not making it any easier on me."

"I don't know what I want to do next- I feel so lost. I don't know if I want to dive back in writing software."

"There's no need to rush. You can take all the time you need to decide on what you want to do; relax for a little while. You and your dad can use some father-daughter time together. I'll come home every weekend to see you."

Until he mentioned that he'll come and visit me on the weekends, I didn't realize that going home to Forks didn't mean that Edward was going to be there with me. His life and work was back in Seattle. Suddenly I realized that now I had to bear the consequence of being separated from Edward because of what I did.

"What's wrong Bella?"

"I just realized that I'm really going to miss you."

"I feel the same way but we'll make it work. I'll think of something. Just don't try to convince the Chief to let you return to Seattle yet. There is a time for everything and this just isn't the time to broach the subject of going back to Seattle with your Dad. He'll just freak out and hold onto you even harder. I know I'd do that if I was in his shoes. If you decide you still want to go to college from the Fall semester, maybe by then he'd be comfortable to let you out of his sight. We need to be patient and go with the flow I think."

"I get it. I did this to myself but I just feel really bummed."

"I have a week in Forks until Aro wants me back. I'll spend every minute with you until the Chief peels me off of you," Edward vowed as he tangled his legs with mine.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you about something. What's this about the connection with James and Irina's boyfriend?"

"How'd you find out?" Edward asked looking surprised.

"I think our fathers thought I was asleep. I heard bits and pieces of the conversation."

"While the police were digging up information on Victoria, they found a link between Irina's boyfriend, Laurent, and James. It appears that Laurent was the one backing James financially, but the police think there had to be someone with the resources behind Laurent. They are now looking at Denali Interactive's involvement with this whole thing and are questioning all sorts of people. Right now Laurent is nowhere to be found and the police are looking for him. There's obviously a chance that he fled with James, but at the same time there is a possibility that he could be dead somewhere as well. At this point, it's not something you need to worry about. Let Volturi Games legal department and Aro deal with this all."

We were both yawning at this point and were too lazy to do anything else so we just texted Felix informing him that it was okay for him to return to the room because we were just going to nap.

**EPOV**

"Well this sure isn't something a father wants to see, but she just looks so peaceful," I heard as I was beginning to wake. I heard my dad's chuckle so I assumed that the first voice belonged to Chief Swan. I realized that it was probably better I stayed asleep so I started to count sheep so that I could fall back asleep until I felt a poke at my side and heard laughing from my dad and Charlie.

"I'm a cop and your father's a doctor. I can tell you're awake now, Edward," Chief Swan said chuckling.

"I'd rather stay asleep," I answered with my eyes still closed.

"I would too if I were in your shoes, but we need to wake Bella and keep her hydrated. She also needs to change into something else. Her clothes look wet from sweat" I turned my head towards Bella and tried to sit up. My shifting on the bed must've woken her up as she suddenly opened her eyes.

"Dad? Why are you and Carlisle staring down at us?"

"Bells, I expected you asleep alone in the bed. Not cuddled in bed with Edward," Chief Swan answered chuckling. Thankfully he wasn't pissed at me.

"Bella, you need to change into some dry clothes. We ordered some soup for you from room service and it should be here soon. Do you need help changing?" Dad asked Bella.

"Ummm. I think I can manage if I can get help to the bathroom," Bella answered and I slid off the bed and helped her bring her legs down the side of the bed.

Dad helped her to the bathroom while I dug through her stuff to find something clean to change into. Dad took her temperature and said that her temperature was back to normal, and took a chair into the bathroom so that she could sit while she changed.

The room service came while just as she was stepping out of the bathroom. I quickly helped her onto the couch and the Chief set everything out so that she could eat.

"I can't eat if you all stare at me," Bella said, laughing at us. It was ridiculous how we all watched her as if she was a little baby.

"I know how to eat and won't burn myself or choke on soup," Bella said rolling my eyes at us.

While she ate, Dad received a call and he went across the room to take it.

"Hello Aro. Yes we're still in Philly. Our flight to Seattle is tomorrow afternoon… What? You have to be kidding me…Why? How can that be? Do you need me to fly back to New York? Okay. I'll see you back in Seattle. Please let me know when you know more. Okay. Thank you. I'll talk to you later," Dad said and ended the call. We all looked towards him and waited for him to let us know what was up.

"Errr… maybe I should speak to Chief Swan alone."

"I want to know," Bella whined. Chief Swan sighed and told my dad that it was okay to just say it in front of Bella.

"Aro called to give me some very disturbing news. They found Laurent dead in a rundown motel just outside of Manhattan, but that's not all. They also found Tanya and Jane dead along with him. They were all shot point blank- it was a hit. The police are looking into what happened and right now they have no more information."

"Oh my gosh," Bella gasped shaking. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to calm her. The news was really disturbing and the air around us became really tense. Felix got up from the chair and said that he was going to stand guard outside the door. The Chief thanked him and then got up, saying said he was going to make some calls to Doug and Keith in New York to find out more details.

After hearing what happened to Tanya and Jane. I no longer felt comfortable leaving Bella in Forks and go back to Seattle. I needed to find some solution so that I could stay behind in Forks with Bella.

A/N

Thank you for reading my story.

It would be awesome if you could leave a review and let me know your comments.


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